Speak no evil
by Yourmercifuldeath
Summary: Odd, spunky, and ever observant she goes by 'Mute'. Meet Allison Grey. Rated M for language, violence, gore, and possibly adult situations? If so it's going to be waaaaaaaayyy later. O.o Daryl/OC? Who knows!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: Well Hey there fellow Walking Dead lovers! Guess what? Yep, it's a TWD fanfiction (I'm sure there are an assload on this site since the AMC premiere XD ) So I thought I'd join in on the fun! I've been thinking about doing this for a while but haven't get around to it until now and it's what I'm going to be working on between my other projects. Honestly I barely have any idea of where this this story is gonna go but I guess we'll find out, right? It begins after Mr. Merle Dixon is left on the roof while his darling younger brother is out hunting. He may not get his venison but he does happen across quite the interesting young lady. I sure hope you like your heroine's spunky! Read on and enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Despite my wishes I do not own rights to The Walking Dead nor it's characters. Oh, woe is me. Don't sue! :P

**Playlist choice**: Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon: Marilyn Manson

...

'I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die...I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING DIE!'

He'd gone insane. This much I could tell just by looking at his trembling belly as the man before me played emotional ping pong with himself. One moment he was chuckling and the next he was sobbing like a child who'd lost their favorite blanket. His eyes were beginning to glaze with the fever that came before death and eventual zombification. He was hunched slightly, cradling his left arm with his right as he shook, his enormous stomach reminding me of jello. Even from the three meters away in my crouched position I could see the wound festering in his left arm. No doubt he'd been bitten maybe a day or two beforehand and I could smell the rotting flesh, see the nasty boiled, discolored, and torn skin dangling from the bite as if the zombie who'd taken a taste had been in a hurry.

I'd seen plenty of bites since my first encounter with the undead. A good deal of them looked way better than the one this man was harboring. Just a few days ago this man had been a traveling companion of mine. There had been four of us. Two younger men, Thomas and Jared, an elderly woman named Dorothy and this man. Thomas and Jared had shared their demise by wandering off for a piss about two weeks ago and Dorothy sure as hell wasn't in Kansas anymore. The last I saw of her she was chewing on a toddler's leg with intestines hanging out of her mouth. This lone man and myself, Frank I think his name was, were all that had been left of the massacre at the shitty little motel my dad had picked out for us to stop in and rest. Georgia hadn't been the planned destination. We were just passing through on our way to our new home in Florida. Father dearest had acquired a new job so we'd had to pack up our shit and head south. I wasn't too worked up about it. Not like I had anything important to me in new York but if I had known we were walking into a fucking deathtrap I might have added my two cents.

Now I was stranded in foreign territory in the middle of a bloodbath and staring into the eyes of death himself. Can you say clusterfuck?

...

Every person fears something. It is a fact and anyone who says that they aren't afraid of anything is either A.) Lying. Or B.) Completely fucking nuts. Whether it be something small like spiders or snakes or even something bigger like bears or the dark. Fear is what drives human beings to do crazy, stupid, and or amazing things. When faced with our fears we can either tuck our tails between our legs and run or if backed into a corner we can lash out in ways that others would find unpredictable. I've heard a large variety of things that scare people. Dogs, the miserable yowl of a cat at five o' clock in the morning, murderers, rapists, and even roaches. I've encountered those who dread talking in front of groups, having to shit in a public restroom, and all kinds of rejection. I have yet though, to meet anyone with the same crazy and possibly ridiculous fear as myself.

I think it would be a drastic understatement on my part to state that I am afraid of people. Not even a specific type of person either. People in general scare the fucking shit out of me. I've never gotten another opinion on it but I'm sure if I ever tried to explain this stupid fear of mine, whoever was listening would just shake their head at me and walk away. I just so happen to think that being frightened of other human beings is a pretty fucking valid fear. Especially when they become flesh eating freaks but that's beside the point. I'll try to give you a couple of my favorite examples and maybe I can shed some light on the subject.

Human beings, as a species, are wired to hurt each other. No matter how 'good' and 'kind' a person pretends to be, there is always the dangerous, vicious animal lurking beneath the surface. We are animals, there's no denying that and though we may be social creatures, we aren't the best at keeping company for long periods of time. We fight a lot over stuff that just doesn't matter in the long run and even the nicest of people will not hesitate to cut your self esteem into tiny little pieces the first chance you give them. We are neglectful, jealous, bitter, and will go for the jugular and feel no remorse for it. We lie, we cheat, we steal, and we tend to be selfish beings. People rarely think of others before themselves and even on the rare occasional it does happen, someone is getting something for their troubles in the end. Greed is in our nature just like wrath, lust, gluttony, vanity, sloth, and envy. These basic emotions are hard wired into every single human being on the planet and with all I've seen in my short life here on earth, I no longer wonder why they're called the seven deadly sins.

Now why did I tell you what I'm afraid of? Why in the world would I put that kind of personal information out there for others to read, criticize, and mock? Because I want you to get a good idea of why I am the way I am. What am I like? Well, you're about to find out. Brace yourselves because it's going to be a strange, bumpy ride.

At the ripe age of twenty one years old, I was a shut in before the world ended. The name on my birth certificate is Allison Grey but to the very few who actually knew me, I was bestowed with the lovely nickname 'Mute.' I'm sure I don't really have to explain such a clever name to you all but there is something I would like to address before you start thinking you know where this is all going. I can talk. I was not born unable to speak, I just choose not to. I actually used to be quite the little chatterbox when I was younger. I could talk someones ear off if they let me and sometimes I did. I had friends and lived a pretty normal life of a kid until I turned thirteen. That's when I realized that no one had ever really listened to what I had to say. Ever. I can remember the exact day that I shut my mouth for good.

I'd been talking to my 'best friend' at the time, Ashley. Ashley and I lived right next door to one another all of our lives. We walked to school together, had class together, ate lunch together, and would always be at each others houses whenever the opportunity presented itself. I thought back then that I could never ask for a better friend. That is, until I wizened up and opened my fucking eyes to the real world. I'd been telling her about my weekend and as I talked, I didn't realize that her attentions were fixed elsewhere until a few minutes later when she turned to me and gave one of those responses that people give when they aren't really listening to a thing you say but are pretending to. My brain started to piece things together and as I sat there with my mouth hanging open, I remembered all of the times she and others had done this while I was talking and that was it for me. I'd opened my eyes and took a look around. Then my mouth clicked shut with a sharp snap of my teeth and I'd never bothered to speak another word again. What was the point of saying anything when no one was willing to lend an ear? At thirteen years old, Allison Grey had ceased to exist and had been replaced with a girl people came to know simply as 'Mute.'

Eight long and lonely years later, my silence was broken. Well, broken is far too much of a vague word to really describe the event. It was actually completely fucking shattered like a pane of fragile glass as a scream ripped from my neglected voice box at the sight of my family being devoured in front of my very eyes. The stress of puberty hadn't made me break my silence nor had the heartbreak of past loves. It took the god damned apocalypse to finally remove me from my quiet state only to throw me right back into it as I was forced to face the fact that I was the most alone I'd ever been. Yet, it still wasn't the fucking zombies that I feared the most.

My small family and I arrived in the hornet's nest the night before shit got real. Now that you know a little more about little ol' me I think it's time to get back to this story full of all kinds of shitty domino effects. Shall we?

...

I looked around frantically but surrounded by little more than the less than lovely fucking outdoors I saw no escape from Fate's nasty claws extending out towards me in invitation. It had actually been frank's idea to head for higher ground once we realized the city was lost to the dead and it had been a damn good idea until misfortune had descended upon the two of us. We'd been running for a while but with Frank's obesity, he'd needed to take a small rest. He hadn't been the only tired one and we'd taken a short breather. We'd even been smart about it ...Kind of. Both of us had been on the alert but the second I looked away, Frank was screaming like a horrified woman. It had been only a second full of chaos and complete terror and we'd gotten away. Frank even managed to keep his wound hidden from me until he'd lost his damn mind and hit me over the head with his heavy ass backpack.

Thankfully it had only been full of food so I'd been able to scramble away but that was just about the only good thing about the mess I'd wandered into.

I know what you're thinking. I could just run into the woods and lose him, right? Well let me just stop you right there and remind you that I had absolutely no idea where I was and there were flesh eaters just dying to get a taste of Allison Grey and when I panic, I'm not the best with directions. I'm the type of person that when I get scared I just run blindly in whatever direction my feet decide to carry me. If I dared to apply this failure of an escape plan I'd just get myself more lost and possibly into some deep...Scratch that and make it REALLY fucking deep shit. I think I failed to mention that I was weaponless aside from my bag but there was nothing useful in there. Just a few clothes, some notebooks, pens, an energy bar that I'd been saving for dinner, and a few other things and since I wasn't planning on throwing my panties at him I was drowning in shit's creek watching my canoe float away from me.

"I know what you were thinking...I know..I knew the second you thought about thinking about it..When it popped into your little head I saw it and I heard it and I knew...!" He was babbling, spittle dripping from his chin and for a moment his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I whimpered in confusion and his gaze was steady on me again and he flung out his right arm to point at me with a bloody index finger. his left arm swung to his side and hung there, useless. "I KNEW! You...I knew it! I knew it! I knew it all along. You were going to leave me behind. You were going to let me die out here alone..! ALONE! I KNEW!"

'What the fuck are you talking about?' I wanted to ask but my vocal chords chose that moment in time to freeze up on me, turning what would have been a perfectly logical sentence into a choked groan. No I hadn't been planning on leaving him behind. Hell, the only thing I'd been thinking about before he'd hit me over the head was my damn energy bar. I'd been starving but now the mere thought of food had my stomach twisting into itty bitty knots.

"Stop...Shut up...JUST STOP FUCKING TALKING! I don't want to hear it! I kneeeeewwwww! You thought you were so clever but you didn't know that I knew that you didn't know about your sneaky little plan..!" Frank stumbled forward, his gelatinous belly swaying over the waistband of his jeans. "Because of this, right?" He swung his left arm up and put his disgusting marred flesh on display. All I could think about was how his yelling might attract unwanted company but hell if I was going to tell him to put a lid on it.

Let me paint a little picture for you. I'm only 5'5 and weighing in at one hundred and twenty pounds with little to no muscle mass. Frank was 6'3 and at least two hundred and forty by my bullshit calculations that could easily have been waaaay off. There was no way I was going to mouth off to him in his crazed state. Cowering against the base of a tree with sharp bushes poking through my t-shirt and into my back I felt a little safe but if I opened my mouth and told him to shut his it wouldn't be pretty for me. It was best to do what I'd been doing for most of my life. Being quiet and I was damn good at it.

His hysterics turned into loud sobs for the fifth time since I'd scampered away from him like the frightened rodent I was and he pointed at his disgusting arm again, spittle flying in all directions as he shouted at me. "This is enough to make you abandon your fellow man?" That little voice in the back of my head reminded me that soon enough he wasn't going to be much of a man but I imagined my lips were super glued shut just like I had on countless other occasions when I felt the urge to talk. I couldn't talk him down from his hysteria and I wouldn't be able to restrain him so what the fuck was I supposed to do? My mind was racing in it's panicked state and offered absolutely no good ideas. Fat lot of good it did to even have a brain right then. I would have given it up for a weeks vacation in the Bahamas at the moment.

Frank didn't like my silence one bit. In fact, it downright pissed him the fuck off which didn't matter much to me. The results would have been the same whether I'd spoken or not so I'd just done what came naturally to me. I whimpered and pressed myself against the tree as if I hoped I could melt into the bark and leave Frank without a target for when he lunged forward with great staggering steps which brought him, with alarming speed for a man his size, far too close for comfort.

I scrambled through dead leaves, sticky branches, and clinging dirt and hauled myself to my feet with a grunt. Frank looked disoriented and he stood still for a moment, swaying slightly as he analyzed the spot I'd just occupied. He blinked his eyes, hard before turning his head and registering that I'd moved. No doubt that was the dementia experienced by most bite victims just before the fever takes them down. In a few hours there was no doubt that Frank would be craving people jerky.

"You won't get away. You can't.." Frank wiped the back of his hand across his mouth to wipe away the saliva that escaped in large dribbles. It left his mouth covered in clotted blood and bits of flesh. I had to fight the urge to vomit and begged my knees not to buckle. I was already feeling weak not having slept in four days straight and eating very little. I mean, why sleep when there's so much fun to be had? I hadn't touched the food that Frank had scavenged for himself. It was all candy bars and junk food so I'd steered clear of it in hopes to find actual nutrition. I was waiting to eat my measly nutrition bar when I really needed a burst of energy. Unfortunately I didn't have time for that and in my weakened state I could do little but try to stay one step ahead of the raving man staring at me like I was an extra large burger on a platter of french fries. How was I going to do that? Good question.

With my backpack feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds, I spaced my feet shoulders width apart in order to keep myself steady and poised in case he came after me again. Of course he did. "You'll pay for your selfishness!" He shouted and threw himself at me. "SHIT!" I cursed loudly and launched myself in the opposite direction, my feet scrambling for whatever footing and distance they could claim but I didn't get very far. With a strangled shout of protest I was brought to the ground by Frank's meaty hand wrapped around my right ankle. With a quick jerk, I went down hard and smacked my head on a terribly placed log. Stars exploded behind my eyes and my hands pressed to my skull as it throbbed with pain.

"I've got you now, you mute bitch!" I could hear Frank's growl of victory, so full of animosity but all I could do was groan and screw my eyes shut in pain. I heard his large body rustling through the grime on the ground as he crawled over me and I choked on a pathetic sob as I cracked my eyes open. My vision was blurry but I could make out his face, covered in blood and his spittle dripped all over my cheeks, nose, and chin as he laughed maniacally. "End of the line, girly.." He let out a sigh of victory and while I lay helplessly beneath him trying to get my senses back in gear he wrapped both hands around my throat. Immediately my air supply went kaput and my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, my own hands instinctively going for his. I tried to pull them off. No luck. I tried to claw them off. Still not luck. So I tried a different approach.

Gasping, my lungs burning for oxygen, I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I brought one of my knees up and aimed for what I assumed was between his legs. His angry bellow reassured me that my aim had been true and as his hands loosened around my neck I used what little strength was left in me to bring my other knee up to join the first.

SUCCESS!

With his hands now cupping his thoroughly battered balls I struck out with my open palm aiming it directly upward. It was an old dirty fight move that I'd learned from my grandfather. With a grunt I slammed the base of my palm into his nose and shoved as hard as I could. Their was a stomach-churning and violent crunch as the cartilage gave way and Frank rolled off of me. Grandpa would have been mighty proud. I didn't waste a single second. Still gulping in large amounts of sweet air, I rolled and forced myself to my knees before finally standing up again. The blood rushed to my head and I stumbled, grabbing on to a tree to keep from falling over. My vision was fuzzy and I felt like I was going to pass out and my head was throbbing. No doubt if I felt around I would find some blood but I didn't feel like facing that problem just yet. I had bigger fish to fry.

Frank was back on his feet and his hatred for me burned in his eyes as he shot blood and snot out of his broken nose. I put a hand over my mouth and looked around from some sort of weapon. I would have settled for anything. A small rock to throw? A stick to fend him off? Anything. Of course I found nothing of the sort. Go figure. I just happened to be stuck in the part of the forest with nothing to pick up off the ground and throw at someone? Sure. 'That's a little cruel, fate. But I'll go with it.' I thought to myself as I looked my enemy up and down. Just another moment in my life that I was handed the short, bloody end of the stick. "You're dead, bitch." Frank hissed and for the life of me I couldn't help myself.

"I just hope I stay that way.." I grumbled and clenched my eyes shut. I wasn't going to be able to fight him off anymore. 'It's the end of the line, kiddo.' For some odd reason the voice in the back of my head had taken on the sound of John Wayne. Interesting to say the least and as I made peace with death I tried to drown out the sounds of his uneven and jerky footsteps but the closer they got the louder they became and I was unable to focus on anything else. 'Just a few more steps..' I thought to myself. 'Three...' I threw out a few apologies to my family for being unable to help them as they were torn to shreds. I remembered the look on my father's face when he shouted for me to run. I'd just stood there covered in my younger brother's blood, frozen until the light died out of his eyes. That's when I chose to run.

'Two...' I'd let out the loudest, bloodcurdling Banshee howl as the zombies descended upon my mother and I'd run for the door. I didn't realize until later that I'd been holding my brother's teddy bear until I found it stuffed into my backpack with everything else. I shouldn't have kept it but I did. It was the one thing I could hold on to to remind me of my family as they'd been instead of how they were when I last saw them. I remembered my little brother putting on little plays with his bear. They never made any sense but they'd been cute as hell to watch. I hoped the souls of my family were waiting for me on the other side. I wouldn't be able to stand eternity by myself.

'On-'

"Down, li'l lady!" It was by absolute reflex that I dropped to the ground. Or maybe it was just coincidence that at that exact moment my knees gave out and I crumbled to the ground like a wrinkled up paper doll. Either way, I'd been living far too long not to drop when someone shouted to get down. Even before the undead unleashed hell on earth I'd been an action movie buff and when someone shouts 'Down!' You best get down. It was another great lesson taught by my ex- Navy Seal grandfather. He sure was a hard ass but he taught me a damn good bit in the short time I'd had with him before the cancer had brought the tough old bird down. I was glad he hadn't lived to see what the world had become.

I kept my eyes closed tight as I heard the sound of something propelling through the air at insane speeds. A projectile. My mind began to take in the sounds and I ruled out a bullet just before whatever it was made contact with it's target. I refused to open my eyes even when I heard the deafening 'SPLURNCH!'. Even as Frank's body sagged into me I didn't move. Didn't look. Didn't make a damn sound. Why the fuck would I? I already knew it wouldn't be pretty but the warm ooze that dripped onto my forehead could not be denied. I looked up.

"Holy fucking..." I scrambled out from beneath Frank's body nailed to the tree by a bolt through his forehead. His eyes were still open. Wide and angry as blood seeped around the wound. His mouth hung slack, his teeth bared viciously. I scampered away on hands and knees, using the ground to pull myself away from the gruesome scene. "...ShitBalls!" I gasped as I finally flung myself down right in front of a pair of boots I hadn't noticed were there until that moment.

'Person! DANGER!' My instinctive fear of the human race had me throwing myself away from that pair of boots, back towards Frank's mutilated body. At least he was dead. I didn't have anything to fear from him anymore but this new person was another possible threat to my survival.

I scuffled backwards until I was pressed into a large, thorny bush. My eyes darted around until they landed on the man. 'Good job, Fate. Just when I finally accept my demise you send me a fucking redneck?' I looked him over. Once. Twice. Three times and I pressed myself further into the bushes as my Knight in shining squirrel apparel strode past me and analyzed his handiwork. He tilted his head and scrunched up his nose in disgust as he looked ol' Frank over a couple times. Then I was graced with the less than pleasant sight of him wrapping a large fist around the bolt sticking out of the back of his head and with a sharp yank, dislodged both the bolt and Frank from the tree.

I let out a sharp squeak as Frank's body fell to the ground at my feet and I kicked at his body until it was a few more inches away. I even used the toe of my shoe to turn his head so that he was no longer staring at me with those empty, bloodshot eyes. One would think that living in a world dominated by the undead I would have become accustomed to blood and death and all that fun shit. No. I was still stricken by all the carnage lain out before me. How my savior could be so indifferent befuddled me.

"Ya bit?"

My gaze snapped from Frank's lifeless, bloody form to the man wiping the blood on the bolt off on his pants. So much blood. It was never absent. I gulped and stared at my savior confused. Bit? What the hell was he talki- 'OH!' I shook my head quickly but he still eyed me with due suspicion. To be fair, I wouldn't have believed me either with the copious amounts of blood covering me from head to toe. It was matted into my hair, dried on my clothing, and there was barely enough of my skin left uncovered by the bodily fluid to even tell that I was just a pale little white girl.

His eyes never leaving me for a second, the stranger reloaded his crossbow and then pointed it at me. "Don' lie ta me. If yer bit ya best tell me now, li'l lady. Cuz if I fin' out I ain't gunna just shoot ya. I'll gut ya like a fuckin' fish fer lyin ta me." His face was stony as he spoke and I gulped down the giant lump in my throat.

'Charming..' I thought to myself as I shook my head again. I may not have looked like a million bucks at the moment but I wasn't going to be turning into a flesh-eater any time soon either. He had far less to fear from me than I did of him. Especially with the way he was aiming his crossbow directly at my face. Something I really wished he would stop doing and fast. So far it was doing little for my fear-of-people-thing.

After a few more seconds of staring at me in that hard as iron way the crossbow slowly lowered. I didn't take my eyes off the weapon as it came to hang at his side, terrified he may decide to shoot me after all, until he spoke again. "Ya alone?" This question had me hanging my head, unsure of whether to answer or not. What if he tried something? What, you ask? Anything. I know better than some others exactly what human beings are capable undead or not. It was only my intense fear of the unknown that had me nodding slowly.

Mr. Crossbow dropped his gaze to the backpack hanging off of Frank's shoulder and he knelt and scooped it up. He shook his head with a smirk as he rummaged through it's contents and then zipped it up and tossed it at me. I cringed away from the object, refusing to touch it for a moment before he finally took his first steps towards me. I inched back into the thorns drawing blood from my arms. With each step, I burrowed myself deeper until he halted. Those perceptive eyes narrowed and he cocked his head.

"Wha? Don' ya think if I wanted ta hurt ya I woulda done it by now?" He asked, lifting his crossbow in suggestion. I eyed the weapon again before analyzing his face. He didn't seem to hold any ill will towards me but ever since I'd started using my brain at the young age of thirteen I'd played everything safe. My motto in life had been 'Don't get close and you can't get hurt.' That motto had gotten me a lot and had helped me survive this long. I had no doubt that if I'd grown up like most other teenagers, desperate for some sort of social acceptance, I would have been dead the second the outbreak started. My wariness was all I could rely on at this point.

I weighed my options.

If I accepted this man's help I could probably live a bit longer. He looked like he knew what he was doing and if things got real bad he could probably hold his own. Also, I wasn't sure if I could risk going on alone. My paranoia was a good thing sometimes but when left to my own devices I'm sure it would run me ragged and send me off the edge. That state of mind would get me nowhere but dead.

On the other hand there was no telling what this man was thinking. He could have been some psycho for all I knew and could kill me at any moment. Still, I wasn't dead yet and he was the reason I was still alive so I couldn't exactly hold that against him. Damn. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. My brain, though throbbing in pain, finally kicked into gear. 'Without at least one other person I won't survive.'

I relaxed slightly and the man seemed satisfied with this enough to advance. He stepped over Frank's body and extended a hand to me. "Tha' can't be too comfortable. How bout we get ya outta them bushes?" I stared at the hand offered to me and shook me head. I never had been one to touch others willingly. Just having Frank on top of me had almost sent me into a panic attack. Even my family had a hard time getting me to accept something as simple as a hug or a pat on the back. What can I say? I liked my space and I'd never been too comfortable with letting people within touching range.

I scooted out from the bushes cautiously but he was in the way of me coming out completely so I eyed his feet, glanced back up to his face, and then dropped my gaze once more. After a few seconds of this, he seemed to understand and stepped back with his hands up. "Alrigh'. Alrigh'. I get it." He shook his head and I caught the look of amusement as he looked me over again. Obviously he found my fear of him funny. 'Sadist..' I thought bitterly as I finally removed myself from the clutches of the many thorns clawing at me.

I stood, not bothering to brush myself off, and shifted my backpack. My savior was staring at me like I was an alien. "Wha? I don' git a 'thank you' or nothin'?" He asked as I stared at Frank's backpack. Did I want to take it? No. Did the stranger want me to take it? It sure had seemed that way. Ignoring his question I cautiously bent down and took a hold of one of the straps and lifted it like it might have been contaminated with some infectious terminal disease.

I looked at the man before me and then back down at the ground before actually slinging the strap over my shoulder and securing it comfortably. "Guess not.." He mumbled. He took one last look at Frank, kicked him, and then turned with a jerk of his head. "Well, c'mon I ain't got all day." He huffed and headed off. I couldn't help myself. I stalled, reached into the bag, pulled out a twinky, and laid it on Frank's chest. It was stupid, I admit but at least that way Frank could have something with him that he loved in the afterlife. "Sorry.." I muttered to his dead body and then jogged off to follow my savior.

As we walked I remained at least three feet behind him at all times, watching the ground and making sure I maintained the spacing. I didn't wonder where we going. I didn't care. As long as I was safe and in the presence of someone who DID know where we were headed I was content. To me, every yard we walked looked the same as the one before. I'd never been good with direction and I was in unfamiliar territory so I left the navigation up to Mr. Crossbow and kept quiet like always. Every now and again he would stop and regain his bearings and I would almost fall on my face trying to keep that three feet of space between us. Any less and I would backtrack and only continue once he did.

After twenty minutes or so of silent wandering the man looked over his shoulder at me, stopped, watched me take a few steps back and then continued on. Every few seconds he did this until finally he chuckled, his crossbow resting on his shoulder. I'd made it a point to not go anywhere near that thing's path of trajectory in case it accidentally went off. At no point in time did I put myself in it's sights though it's owner didn't seem too concerned about it.

"I'm Daryl by tha way." His half-assed introduction was received but not reciprocated. After all my years of going nameless it didn't even occur to me that he might want to know the name on my birth certificate. That is, until he looked back at me and cocked his head. "Ya gonna at least tell me yer name?" He stopped. I stopped, took two steps back and watched him warily. It also didn't occur to me that we might have reached our destination, wherever that may be, until he sat down on a rather large log and rested his bow down at his feet.

I took a good look around. No, we hadn't come upon a log cabin or any type of shelter at all. It was just a small clearing with a log. Which made me wonder if I'd been wrong about this guy knowing where he was headed. In a world where the dead eat the leaving it wasn't, in my opinion, such a good idea to allow oneself to be so exposed. Yet my new companion looked completely at ease sitting there staring at me like I was the odd one. I frowned and lifted my hands, motioning to our surroundings with a curious expression.

"It's gonna be gettin' dark soon so this place is as good as any to stay till mornin." He explained. Well at least he was pretty good at reading my expressions and body language. It saved me the trouble of having to break my silence which I wouldn't have been so keen on. I shifted nervously and nibbled on my bottom lip. I was definitely not okay with this but it was pretty much my only option.

"Wha? Ya scared? Ain't hardly no walkers in these woods. Most of 'em stayed in the city an' I can take care of whatever few tha' might come round lookin' fer somethin' ta eat." This Daryl person sounded so sure of himself. I'd met a couple of people like him since the outbreak and so far none of them survived. Of course they hadn't been armed with crossbows or hunting skills either. This man had hunting skills in spades. I could tell this much just from watching him walk and I'd seen every inclination of his head as we'd made our way. Not a single sound went without thorough analyzing as well as every flicker of movement. Hunting might as well have been in his blood. I just hoped I was right.

I took a few cautious steps towards the log until sitting down on the ground with my back against it still maintaining three feet of space between Mr. Crossbow and myself. Again I heard him chuckle but he made no comment and the log beneath him creaked as he stood. I watched him closely but he made no approach. Instead he wandered around picking up a few of the larger sticks laying around. I scowled. Fate was such a bitch. When I'd been in need of a heavy stick there had been nothing but now there was an abundance? Really? Talk about some shit, huh?

I continued to observe as Daryl threw the sticks in a pile a few feet away from me. Exactly three feet, I noticed and then wandered back to log, picked up his crossbow, and pointed at me. "Stay put, alrigh'? Ima go find some more wood. With any luck I can git us a fire goin'. Gunna be cold as a bitch tuh-night." He said and once he was sure I wasn't going to move he headed back into the woods. I watched him go until he disappeared from sight.

I hadn't been alone in a while. Not so completely as I was then at least. Before the undead popped up I'd been alone plenty but it just wasn't the same. There hadn't been too much danger to look out for. Sure there were murderers and rapists on the streets and general psychos but now that people were going crazy and eating each other the game was completely different. Being alone could mean death. Especially once the sun had crept down over the horizon and Daryl hadn't returned yet.

I hadn't moved. Not a single inch had I strayed. After about ten minutes of his absence I'd pulled out one of my many notebooks and a pen and began jotting down what had taken place since my last journal entry:

_Well, Frank went nuts and tried to kill me. I really wasn't expecting that one to be honest. Of all the people I've met since the outbreak I thought he was the most harmless. Guess I was wrong. I don't know when he was bitten. I'm guessing a few days ago because he was pretty fucking close to the fever coma that comes before death. I thought I was going to die. For a moment I almost wished I would just so I could be free of everything. This fear. The constant danger. Everything._  
><em>I was saved. By who? A fucking redneck of all people. I don't know anything about him aside from his name. It's Daryl. Of course I don't trust him but he hasn't tried to hurt me yet so I don't think he's a threat. Then again, I thought the same thing about Frank. I hope I'm not wrong again because I really doubt that I could hold my own against this guy. He's got a fucking crossbow and he's a damn good aim so I'm pretty sure it would be a good idea to keep my distance and just observe for now. We've stopped for the night in the middle of the woods. Not the best idea in my opinion but Daryl seems to know what he's doing. He's, no doubt, more experienced with the area so I'll just go along with him until I find a better option. IF I find a better option.<em>  
><em>I miss home. At least in NY I knew my way around. I wonder how bad things have gotten there. If it's anything like Georgia then I'm sure there's at least one other person out there just like me. Scared, lost, confused, and did I mention scared? Fuck. Nothing else to write so I'll just hope that things get better from here.<em>

_Side note: Last bit of sleep: 4 days ago. Fucking shitballs...  
><em>

After that I'd just doodled on the page until it became too dark and I was forced to just listen to all the creepy sounds of the forest. Every twig snap made me jump. Every hoot or howl had me curling my knees up tighter to my chest. Even the wind whistling through the trees egged my paranoia on. It also really didn't help when my sleep deprivation kept throwing out random bits of hallucinations. To say I was exhausted was a drastic understatement. No doubt I'd sleep like a log if I got the chance any time soon.

Daryl had been right. As soon as the sun went down the temperature dropped and I was shivering in my jeans and thin Pink Floyd t-shirt. I tried to warm myself by rubbing my hands up and down my frigid arms but it barely helped so I began to rock a little bit hoping that the movement would warm me up. It might not have worked for heat but it sure did keep my mind occupied. So much so that I nearly screamed when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and a figure emerged from the forest on my right. I was on my feet quicker than shit but embarrassment replaced panic when I heard Daryl chuckle as he came closer.

"Damn lil lady. I ain't seen no one move that fast in a while." He dropped a large bundle of small logs and sticks onto the ones he'd collected earlier and crouched down beside it. I put my hand over my heart and tried to regulate my breathing as he fiddled with something. I couldn't tell if I was pissed off at letting myself become distracted long enough to not hear him coming or if I was embarrassed at my reaction to it. After a few seconds I heard the distinct sound of a match being stuck and after a little poking and prodding Daryl stepped back as the fire roared to life.

Goosebumps broke out all over my body as the flames instantly warmed me and eased me into a slightly more relaxed state. I sat back down and Daryl took the same spot on the log that he'd occupied earlier. He set his crossbow down again and I let out a long breath, my heart finally taking on it's usual rhythm as the sound of wood crackling and popping as it burned encompassed all and chased away the silence.

"So ya gonna tell me yer name or wha?" I glanced to him as Daryl settled himself against the log as I had done. I eyed the distance between us, deemed it acceptable, and looked back at the fire as if he hadn't spoken at all. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him shake his head as he huffed a quiet chuckle. I didn't understand why it meant so much to him to know my name. No one had ever asked it before. I was just known as the quiet girl who didn't talk to anyone. The girl with nothing to say. The girl who just watched everyone else with an observant gaze fit for a hawk. I was just a girl.

"Ya know. I think it's a lil rude not to tell the person who jus' saved yer ass yer name at least." If I'd been so inclined to speak I would have told Mr. Crossbow that I didn't give a happy rat's ass what he thought. Instead I just turned my head and glared at him only to be greeted with the sight of him grinning at me. My bitchiness faltered and I dropped my gaze. My notebook still lay next to me and I stared at it's cover. In the middle was plainly scratched 'MUTE' in giant lettering. I could remember the exact moment it had been carved into the cover.

I'd been scribbling in it as usual. I'd been in the park about a mile from my home in NY. I hadn't been hurting anyone by sitting on the swing and jotting down little notes and observations about any and all who crossed my path. It was a hobby of mine to figure people out. I liked to watch them and see if I could piece them together like a puzzle in my mind. People, though they scared me, also fascinated the ever loving shit out of me and I was always looking for the next pieces to the puzzle that was humanity.

I'd been writing about a cute toddler who was playing in the sandbox a little more than a yard from me when a couple of boys that I'd gone to high school with had wandered by. I didn't notice them and I didn't realize they'd noticed me until I heard their approaching footsteps. Out of my instincts to avoid, I hadn't even looked up hoping that they would just go by and leave me be but that became impossible when one of them called out to me.

"Hey! I remember you. You went to our school, right?" I'd just kept jotting down what was on my mind afraid to lose my train of thought. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" He exclaimed as he came to a stop directly in front of me. He blocked the sunlight with his broad body and I'd stopped writing, my pen pausing mid-stroke. I looked up to see him smirking down at me.

Yeah, I remembered him. His name had been Thomas and he hadn't been my biggest fan back when I was still in school. In fact he would do nothing but call me rude names on the off chance that I ran into him at lunch or in the hallways. He'd even shoved me into a couple of lockers a few times. Once, he'd dislocated my shoulder but I'd never done anything about it. I'd just shrugged it off with the uninjured one and went about my business. I think that's what pissed him off most. He could never get to me no matter how hard he tried.

The two boys with him just stood a bit away from us, observing. I only glanced to them for a moment before I went back to my notebook. Thomas laughed and tore it from my hands and began reading over my personal thoughts. I didn't mind. He could read as much of it as he wanted. Maybe it would clue him in that there were more important things in life than bullying others who barely registered his existance. "You're still as weird as ever!" He laughed and dangled the notebook in front of my face. "Want it back?" He attempted to goad me but I folded my hands in my lap and waited for him to go away.

A few more minutes of his mocking and he called me a few vulgar names that I let roll off of me. Then he'd smirked, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small switchblade. With a glance backwards to make sure his buddies were watching he carved my nickname into the cover and I just sat there until he was finished and threw it on the ground and stomped on it a couple of times. He followed his performance up by spitting a giant ball of mucus onto it and then walked away, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world to defile the opinions and thoughts of another human being. I'd just wiped the mucus off and went on writing.

I ran my finger over each sloppily carved letter. 'M'. 'U'. 'T'. 'E.' and then sighed and pushed the notebook towards the man sitting three feet away from me. I watched as he squinted at the lettering in the fire's glow. He glanced at me and then back to the notebook and shook his head. "Well I know sure as shit ya ain't mute, lil miss potty mouth..."

I was taken by surprise when he flipped open the cover and scanned over the area inside where I'd scribbled my real name just in case the notebook was ever lost. He then closed the cover again and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"It's nice ta meet ya, Allison Grey."

...

**How was THAT for an intro, huh? Good? Bad? I have a bit of a biased opinion so only you readers can tell me and I would absolutely LOVE to know. Really, I would. Don't believe me? Well you should, dammit! :D Well whether you review or not I shall adore you for reading this far! Much love, yo!**

-MeRci.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary**: First off let me begin by saying WOW! I didn't expect this fanfic to be so well received as it was! HAHA! Guess it wasn't as bad as I thought! XD So well received, in fact, that I had to post up the second chapter as soon as I could! So three packs of cigarettes and fifteen cups of coffee later here it is! I included in this chapter Daryl's POV for a short while just to see how well I could pull it off. (If it's terrible please let me know so that I can attempt to improve it!) and Mute gets an introduction to the rest of the survivors. Kind of. XD Hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own rights to TWD or it's characters. ...Which kind of sucks..

**Credits**: Because you guys and gals were awesome enough to leave reviews I'll go ahead and give you a lot of the credit for giving me the drive to kick this fic into high gear!

-JadeSun12: Oh, wow! Thanks! 'Clusterfuck' and 'shitballs' are probably going to be two of the most commonly used curses in this fanfic so I'm glad you like them because you'll be seeing them pretty often. XD

-Eris: Lady, you flatter me! and this may not be yesterday but I hope it was soon enough for ye! Much love and keep rocking! Now get back to writing more about Cali because I haven't had my fill yet! Gogogogo!

-Blondie911: You ask and you shall receive! =D Haha! Of course I had to make Daryl observant. I see his character as a person who may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch but he sees and hears all! XD

-ChildlikeEmpress: Who ISN'T a Daryl Dixon fan? Norman Reedus is a badass with a capital B-A-D-A-S-S! XD Glad you like my OC though after a while I'm not sure how much you're going to like being in her head. She's a little nuts. Thanks though!

-MyMissingHalo: I'm glad you like this. Let's just hope the rest doesn't disappoint =D

**NOW ON TO CHAPTER 2!**

**Playlist choice**: Stone cold crazy- Queen.

Once Mr. Crossbow figured out my secret identity there hadn't been much conversation. Well, with me there's never really any of that so it was just another day in my life but for Daryl it had to be a new experience. To be in the presence of a young lady who didn't talk very much if at all he had to be feeling uncomfortable. Usually girls my age were chatterboxes that didn't have the common sense to know when to shut their pretty little mouths and just listen for a while. I was good at that that. Listening that is. It had given me a 'sixth sense' if you will and it allowed me to become very perceptive of others emotions around me just by listening to the sound of their voice. It helped in my avoidance tactics because I could pick up on agitation, anger, and hatred even in their earliest stages. All of which I saw as signs to get the fuck out of dodge. Reading people was my niche and from what I was getting from Daryl he was all kinds of uncomfortable.

After about a half an hour of stretching silence he told me that I could get some rest. When I'd arched an eyebrow at him he quickly assured me that he would stay up and keep watch. I didn't have to be told twice. I'd been pretty close to dozing off as it was so I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity to get some sleep. The only other option would be to stay up for a whole other day. How bout an extra large NO THANK YOU with a side of Fuck that.

I hunkered down for the night and curled onto my side using my backpack as a pillow. I'd finally gotten my stomach to cooperate with me enough to scarf down my only energy bar and though it hadn't been much I felt like a queen. I was fed, fairly comfortable, and dozing off with one hand beneath my head and my other arm wrapped around my waist and tucked beneath me. My eyelids drooped heavily as my vision grew fuzzy and then there was nothing. Sweet sweet nothingness.

...

Daryl POV.

Merle might have called my choice a 'lack of good judgement' or, in other words, the dumbest damn thing I'd done since I'd shot a hole through the side of our neighbor's truck with my pop's rifle when I was sixteen. At least that incident, though, I could blame on being drunk as a skunk. This one I didn't have a good excuse for.

I stared at the fire as it slowly burned itself down to a dull flicker and listened to the sounds of the woods. Everything had been normal for the most part. I could pick up the distant death cries of prey animals as they were taken down by predators. There were little chirps and hoots from owls and various other nocturnal creatures but so far there hadn't been a whiff of a walker. Damn good thing too because I didn't have just myself to look after at the damn moment.

I shook my head at my own dumb ass and rested my forearm on my propped up knee. I was trailing a pretty damn decent sized deer when I'd heard the commotion. For a second I'd thought that some damn walker had gotten a hold of somebody playing the damn fool by wanderin in the forest all alone and I'd only gone for a look to take the damn thing out so it didn't head towards the small camp of survivors and cause all kinds of problems. I had only been half right.

Coming upon the scene I wasn't sure what I'd been lookin at. From my position I'd only been able to see the fat sumbitch and I'd taken aim. It was a fuckin good thing I waited for a moment though because suddenly there was a girl in my line of fire. If it had been another walker bitch I could have just shot em both dead right then and there but watching her for a second confirmed that she wasn't no walker and I didn't have it in me to shoot an innocent girl. Especially one being bullied by the fat motherfucker soon-to-be-walker and he'd been lookin at her like he had dinner on the brain.

Ma woulda been proud. She'd always done as much as she could to make sure I didn't end up like Merle. She wanted me to respect women or at least never hit one. I could still remember the smile on her worn face as she told me; "Now ya listen here, Daryl Dixon. I ain't raisin no heathen. Ya best not follow in yer brother's footsteps. That boy would hit a girl quicker'n'shit. Yer better than that ya hear?" It had been engrained in my mind since I was a boy and damn if I couldn't hear my momma when I'd seen that fat bastard goin after the girl.

After that it was mostly my conscience eggin me on. What else could I have done? Once I'd gotten a good look at her I didn't have it in me to just leave her there on her lonesome. Tryin to burrow herself into the bushes I'd seen a scared lil thing covered in nothin but blood from head to toe. I remembered thinkin just how tiny she was and how she looked so damn helpless and I'd heard my momma again. 'She ain't gonna make it on her own' and though it went against everything I had learned from Merle I'd gone and helped her.

Not that she seemed to want my help at first. In fact I was pretty sure she was half crazy with the way she cringed away from me. No doubt livin in the newly formed world of walkers she'd lost some trust on the way and wasn't willin ta give it ta me even if I'd gone and saved her life. I couldn't blame her. I didn't trust that easy either so I didn't push her too hard. She looked like if'n I tried to push her too much she'd just break and if she wasn't weird enough already I wouldn't want to know what she was like havin completely lost her mind.

Oddly enough it wasn't her unwillingness to come within three feet of me that I found weird. It was her lack of talkin. I knew she could talk, I'd heard her spoutin all kinds of weird curses just before she'd clammed up again. She spoke with facial expressions and hand motions. At first I'd thought she was just a big fan of charades but as time ticked by I came to grips with the fact that she wasn't goin ta be unzippin her lips for me or anyone else any time soon. I could live with that.

I turned my head to look at the girl and watched her sleep for a few seconds.

Allison Grey. Her name didn't really fit her in my opinion. In fact, she was the kind of girl I couldn't put any kind of name to. Though she'd wiped some of the blood from her face I could barely make out any of her features. I knew she had the biggest brown doe-eyes I'd ever seen and her nose had a small bump in the ridge as if it'd been broken once before. I couldn't even tell what color her hair was from all the blood matted into it. I could tell she was pale. Real pale. Like she hadn't seen the sun in damn near a decade. Also she was pretty short. Five foot four or five by my guess and beneath that loose fitting t-shirt she was skinny. The kind of skinny that came from starvation. How she managed to hold off that big ol' sumbitch was beyond me.

Her eyebrows knitted together and the hand resting beneath her face twitched it's fingers before she turned her head and burrowed her face into the backpack beneath it. I sighed and tapped my fingers along my knee. Back at camp I wondered if Merle and the others had gotten back yet. I didn't give a fuck bout the nigger or the chink as long as long as Merle made it back safe. Then I briefly entertained the thought of what everyone, including my big brother, would think when I showed back up with an extra addition to the fucked up lil club we'd made.

Merle would probably call me a 'soft lil bitch' for lettin a girl interrupt my huntin and I would no doubt get a few odd stares from some of the others. Merle and I weren't exactly known for our big hearts and our compassion for our fellow man. We were the Dixon boys. Always causing shit and making asses out of ourselves. If Merle had been with me when I'd come across the lil lady he wouldn'ta done nothin and he woulda told me not to do nothin neither. Merle was all about survival of the fittest and he couldn't acknowledge the fact that he may have been the toughest sonofabitch anyone'd ever met but not everyone was. Some people just needed to be helped and this girl had 'HELP' written plain as day on her forehead.

"Well shit.." I grumbled pushing the days events away from my mind. I just hoped I could get back on that deer's trail before it wandered too far. I was really lookin forward to some venison. I glanced at my collection of squirrels and shook my head. 'Better than nothin..'

Once the sun started to peek up over the horizon I had a small issue to address. My mime didn't like to be touched and she'd made that clear from the start so I had to find a way to wake her up without comin within three feet of her. Then again I'm sure she didn't approve of the method I saw appropriate either. I tossed a small rock at her. It bounced off her shoulder and her eyes cracked open, locked onto me and if looks could kill I woulda been dead a hundred times over.

"Ey. Git up." I was beat tired and just wanted to put a bolt between the eyes of my deer and drag it back to camp. But before this could take place I had to wake a certain sleeping beauty and get her movin.

...

Mute POV.

If I'd had the strength to do more than groan or maybe even had the incentive to touch another human being I would have kicked Mr. Crossbow in the balls for throwing a rock at me. What the fuck was I, a dog with a listening problem? No, Ma'am. I'm a fucking human being but I let it go and just focused on keeping my eyes open and then progressing to sitting up. It wasn't pleasant. After running my body ragged for four days straight sleep had done little for me but give my body time to stiffen up and become a pain in the ass.

I placed a hand in the small of my back as I sat upright and then used the log as leverage to help me stand. My calves and thighs wobbled weakly beneath my weight and I scowled down at them. I was having all kinds of problems this morning, wasn't I? Kind of made me wish I'd just stayed up all night instead. I didn't want to move but I also didn't want to stay in the damn woods either. I'd been stick in this fucking place for almost a week now and I was getting pretty tired of seeing trees no matter where I looked. Speaking of trees..I had something that needed to be attended to before I would be going anywhere with Daryl.

Though it took me a few minutes to get the blood flowing through my veins right I finally stretched, regretted it, and stretched some more. I could feel every single muscle groan and protest against any movement at all but after I was limbered up a little I grabbed my backpack and began rummaging through it. Of the few things I'd brought with me tissues had been at the top of my list. Mostly because of my allergies so I could blow my nose instead of sucking all that nasty mucus down into my stomach. They also served another purpose.

While Daryl was preoccupied kicking at the pile of ash that had been our fire I headed off with my last small packet of tissues searching for a tree to squat behind. It was either that or piss all over myself and I think I had enough bodily fluids coating my body that I could do without that one.

"Where ya think yer goin?" Daryl shouted after me and I turned with a frown. What did he think? That I was just going to leave my backpack and run off? Really. I would think someone would have more sense than that. I lifted the packet of tissues and waved them around and then raised my eyebrows in suggestion as I jerked my head towards a tree.

"Tha fuck are you tryin ta tell me?" His face screwed up in confusion and began towards me. "Ya need help wit somethin?" He asked. 'Oh, dear god no!' I slapped my palm to my face in frustration and held up a hand. The international sign for 'Stop' and I shook my head. This confused him even more and I gave up. If he was going to be so persistent with this line of questioning I was left with no choice. For the first time in eleven years I did, as my mother so affectionately called it, 'the potty dance'.

Finally his eyes widened in understanding and he threw his hands up in the air. "Well why tha fuck din't ya say so!" He exclaimed and I gave him a blank stare before giving him the middle finger and wandering off with a shake of my head. Damn. When did men get to be so dumb?

Once I'd done my business I wandered back over to my bag, stuffed what was left of my tissues inside, zipped it up, slung it and Frank's bag over my shoulders and settled my hands on my hips. Daryl was seated on the log looking a little less than patient and when I came to a stop three feet away he looked up at me. "Ya good? Can we go now?" He asked and I nodded and motioned for him to lead the way.

He stood and I swear I heard him mutter something along the lines of 'Damn women..' Under his breath as he headed back into the woods. I looked to the sky, sighed, muttered "Damn men..", and followed like an obedient little puppy.

My legs did not appreciate the labor being forced upon them as we went along. Now that the sun was out I was drenched in sweat. Some of it even dripped into my eyes and I didn't have anything to wipe it away with. My hands were covered in gross shit. My clothes were covered in gross shit. I was a walking, breathing pile of gross shit. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had the chance to bathe at all. It had to be the part I missed most about the world before the outbreak. That and toothpaste. I'd always been pretty obsessed with my oral hygiene and it had been two weeks and a day since I'd last had the chance to clean my chompers and my breath must have been unbearable.

Daryl was pretty intent on our direction but he would stop, crouch down every now and again, and then continue on after a quick look around. Whatever means he was using to navigate I was unfamiliar with and it looked a little odd. Did he have an inner compass or something? Or was he just that familiar with the area. Oh, well. It didn't do me much good to question it so I let my mind wander to other things. Like the cute fuzzy squirrels that kept scampering by. I didn't even glance to the dead ones carried around by my companion. I followed each one as they chased one another around trees and up the trunks, their cute tails doing that adorable break-dance thing and their beady eyes watching us as we passed.

A particularly fat one darted out of the bushes and I smiled to myself as it stopped at the base of a tree and peered out at me, it's whiskers twitching. I wish I could communicate with it enough to get a small pat of it's fuzzy body but that thought process was fucking demolished in the next second.

'Thwak!' My jaw dropped as the cute, chubby creature was pinned to the tree by a bolt that looked all too familiar.

"Got the lil sumbitch!" Daryl hooted. I was absolutely fucking riveted as he strode over and, with a triumphant grunt, added the poor thing to his collection. When he glanced at me my eyes were wide and my mouth hung agape. How in the world could he do something so cruel to something to fucking adorable? I was appalled. "Ya got a problem? Squirrel's good eatin. Ain't ya never had it before?" He asked and I almost vomited.

What planet had this man come from that squirrel was 'good eatin'? Planet fucking redneck? Where the moonshine will knock you on your ass and the only attractive people around are related to you? I shook my head violently and he shrugged. "Oh well. More fer me." He reloaded his crossbow and headed off once more. I was left to stare at the blood splatter on the tree's base for a moment and another of it's fuzzy companions stared at me in accusation from the safety of a high branch. I held my hands up in defense. "Hey. Don't look at me, man. I didn't kill him. Take it up with the crossbow toting psycho.."

About a mile later I was still a little sore over watching the death of one of the cutest things I'd ever lain eyes on and Daryl was laughing at me. 'Sadist...' I thought to myself for the second time in reference to my savior as he busied himself with shooting a deer. So that's what he'd been tracking, huh? Daryl didn't look too happy though when the creature darted off with three of his bolts in it's side. I couldn't help but egg it on in my head. 'Run, Deer, run! Run like the wind!'

"I don't know why yer so sore over one lil squirrel. It ain't exactly at the top of the food chain, ya know. Other animals eat 'em all the time." I had half a mind to respond but there would be no good to come of it. 'Yeah. Other animals eat them all the time but I don't have to witness it.' I scowled at him but his attention strayed elsewhere and his brow furrowed as he listened to something off in the distance. I frowned wondering what it could be when I heard it too. I froze.

It wasn't very loud at first but then it came again. A scream. A very high pitched scream and I knew all too well what it meant. "Walker.." I whispered. Daryl looked back at me for a moment, an eyebrow arched but I wasn't paying attention. Someone was in trouble. Someone was screaming over a walker. I knew that scream because it sounded an awful lot like the one I'd let loose back in that motel room. A child's scream. Now, I might not like people but children are a completely different story to me. They aren't corrupted like anyone over the age of sixteen was. I sure as fuck wasn't going to let a kid die without doing something about it.

"Hey! Where ya goin? Allison!" Daryl shouted but it was too late. I took off towards the screaming running on pure adrenaline as it raced through my veins. In those moments I forgot all about my aching muscles and my tired back. In those moments I was nothing more than a mass of blood and bones ripping through the trees. I didn't even notice the stray branches in my path scratching at my arms and neck as I bolted through them.

"The fuck do ya think yer doin?" Daryl was right behind me, growling through gritted teeth at my behavior and suddenly the screams stopped. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing but I wasn't going to assume the best when I had no clue. It was only one of his big hands wrapping around my bicep that stopped me and, running on reflex, I turned and kicked him in the stomach.

"OOF!" He bent and wrapped an arm around around his waist as my chest heaved and I looked around wildly as I put three feet of space between us. "Tha fuck was tha for?" He shouted as he straightened. Well, my earlier conclusion had been right. I definitely couldn't take him. My kick had barely knocked the wind out of him and had only pissed him off.

"Don't touch me." I breathed and headed off again. His heavy footsteps behind me reassured me that though he was pissed he was still alright with making sure I didn't go and get killed. If it was me I might have just let me go off on my own just to teach me a lesson. He must have had the patience of a saint not to kick my ass. "Ya know. I think them's the first words ya spoke ta me so far." I ignored his comment and continued on my way. God, I hoped that there wasn't some child being devoured up ahead. I wouldn't be able to take that kind of trauma. Not after Issac.

Daryl took the lead again once we heard the distinct sounds of other human beings. Great. More people. That was exactly what I needed to make me feel better. A bunch of walker survivors willing to do anything and everything in order to live another day. Even if that meant throwing someone else under the bus or stealing or lying or cheating, raping, murdering, kidnapping, beating, Ect..

The only thing that kept me from completely losing it was coming upon the sight of a dead walker. That's a good sight for these eyes, I'll tell you that. It's head was cut off while a bunch of strangers stood around holding various weapons at the ready just as Daryl and myself popped out into the open. Sort of. While Daryl strode right out into the thick of things I eyed the group warily and stood just enough back that I would be able to run if the need presented itself.

In the middle of the group was Daryl's deer. It was dead of course and I put two and two together as everyone relaxed and someone cursed under their breath. No doubt the deer had died from blood loss or some such cause and the walker had gotten a hold of it in it's last moments. Poor creature. I wondered briefly if animals were immune to whatever made people come back to life craving human flesh. If not I might as well just kill myself right then and there. Could you imagine a predator like a wolf or a mountain lion zombified? I became distracted by Daryl, for the first time I was thankful.

"Sonufabitch!" He didn't sound too happy to find his deer so thoroughly mutilated as he wandered out. He didn't even look like the group of people affected him any. That clued me in that he might know them. I filed that piece of information away for later use. He hadn't told me anything about other survivors. Hell, he hadn't told me much of anything. Guess that had a lot to do with me not asking any questions. I eyed the other people with paranoia. Everyone was holding a weapon that could be detrimental to my health and I wasn't open to the idea of getting too close unless I knew they weren't going to harm me.

One man held a rifle. I'd never been a fan or firearms. Could I use one? Yeah. I vaguely remember mentioning that my grandfather taught me a lot. How to shoot a gun was one of his first lessons for me and though I didn't plan on using one any time soon the knowledge was there just in case. Then there was another man holding a pitchfork. Not on the list of weapons I would choose to kill a zombie but if it worked for him then it didn't matter what I thought. An older man wielded an axe. Now that was something I would definitely liked to have had in my possession when the outbreak happened. He must've been smart. Then there was an Asian guy holding what looked like a baton and a Latino at the ready with a baseball bat with blood on the tip. I shifted uncomfortably and though I got a few curious looks no one commented on my presence yet. I looked down at myself and could imagine why not. I wouldn't want to acknowledge a girl covered in blood and dirt either.

"That's MY deer!" Daryl exclaimed as he approached it and I could tell he was upset over losing it. "Look at it all gnawed on by this.." He circled around to the walker and his face scrunched up in disgust as he began kicking it. "Filthy.." kick. "Disease bearin'.." Kick. "Motherless toxic bastard!" He ground out through gritted teeth as he kicked it a few more times. Wow. He really hated walkers. Not that I could blame him. The damn things were worse than cockroaches these days and though I hadn't seen one for a few days other than Frank the sight of one had not lost it's revolting effect on me. Just looking at it's headless body made me want to curl up into a little ball and shake.

The elderly man with the axe spoke up and I glanced to him again noting that he had a good point. "Calm down, son. That's not gonna help it." Daryl didn't see it the same and he turned on him, getting in his face as he sneered. "Whad'ya know about it, old man? How bout'cha take that stupid hat and go back to 'on golden pond'." Then he turned back to his deer with a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"I've been trackin this deer for miles." He grunted and began pulling out the bolts in it's side. I looked away as he did so and tried not to imagine how much those things had to hurt. How the deer had managed to run so far with them sticking out of it's flesh was beyond me. It must have had an iron will to survive to put up with that kind of excruciating pain. I would have just dropped when I'd been shot the first time and given up, accepting my fate. Pretty much the same way I'd given up against Frank. I'd really been ready to die in that moment. Thinking back on it had me feeling like a coward.

"Drag it back to camp and cook us up some venison." Daryl took a look around the group. "What'ya think? Think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" He motioned to the area and I placed a hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up last night's energy bar. He was one twisted man to even consider eating something that a walker had chomped on. It was either that or he was crazy. Pondering this for a second I settled on the latter. From what little I'd experienced of Daryl I was pretty sure he was nuts.

The bigger man with the rifle shook his head, the gun resting across his shoulders. "I would not risk that.." He seemed to find the idea just as revolting as I did. I looked him over and made a few observations about him to jot down later. He looked like a few people I'd met in my life. The kind of guy who, just because he's bigger and had muscles, seemed to think he was the shit. Just from the way he stood with his hip cocked and one foot tapping lightly on the ground I could conclude that he was probably a douche bag with anger issues. Maybe a little self-righteous as well. Only time would tell.

"Damn shame.." Daryl grumbled before he looked at his collection of dead fuzzies. "Well I got some squirrel. Bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do." I took note of his slightly bipolar behavior. Just a moment ago he was mouthing off to an innocent bystander and now he was talking to them all as if he didn't have a care in the world. Just another red flag indicating that he was a psycho. Not even I possessed that level of crazy.

My eyes caught movement on the ground and two blonde women that I hadn't noticed both gasped as the zombie head moved suddenly and clicked it's jaws. It's blank, glazed eyes stared skyward as it bit at the air. "Oh, god.." The younger of the two women groaned and turned away. The next moment they were gone. Apparently I wasn't the only one who hadn't quite gotten used to seeing the damn things and their abilities to survive.

It was Daryl to the rescue again and he stepped forward. "C'mon, people what the hell?" He lifted his crossbow, took aim, and shot it through the eye and the thing ceased all movement. Again I had to look away as he settled a boot against the skull and pulled out the bolt. I involuntarily shuddered at the loud 'squish' the removal made and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. I swallowed it heavily and reminded myself that I'd seen far worse.

"It's gotta be the brain.." Daryl glanced around at the group and then headed passed a few of them. "Don't ya'll know nothin?" He shook his head and his gaze settled on me as he walked passed. "C'mon.." He jerked his head and headed off. I wasn't exactly inclined to move but I also didn't want to be left behind with a bunch of strangers. I'd learned the value of the phrase 'stranger danger' very early in life and hell if I was risking it.

It was the elderly man that brought everyone's gaze down on me in a flurry of attention. "Um.. Daryl. Aren't you forgetting something?" He motioned to me. I never had liked being the center of attention but there was nothing I could do about it but kick at the dirt as if it fascinated me in all it's dusty glory. Daryl turned and stared at me for a moment. I could feel his gaze on my down turned head and refused to look up or acknowledge that I was being addressed. 'Who me? I'm nobody. Ignore me.' I thought to myself.

"Oh. That's A-" I looked up sharply and shook my head. No, I didn't want these people knowing my real name. It was bad enough that he knew it. Allison Grey did not exist anymore. She hadn't for eight solid years of silence and she sure as hell wasn't going to be resurrected by these people. The last person to ever call me by my real name other than Daryl had been my father. To everyone else, including my mother and brother, I was mute. I was anonymous. I was invisible and I fucking wanted to stay that way.

With my warning glare Daryl rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "That's Mute." He waved his hand in my direction as if dismissing my existence and a few people arched some brows. Some others frowned. Mr. Rifle cocked his head and his eyes raked over me. "Mute? What kinda name is that?" He asked but Daryl was already walking away and I wasn't going to answer him. I shifted again and though everyone else stayed rooted where they were, I skirted the small crowd and followed after the psycho with the crossbow. He was the only one I knew even a little and though I didn't trust him at all he saved my life so that counted for something.

I really didn't expect to follow Daryl into a campsite of so many people. I'd hoped that maybe the ones I'd encountered so far were the only ones but of course there were women and children. A good deal of them and as I followed behind the safe distance of three feet I kept my head down. Behind me I could hear the others following but I ignored the paranoid need to glance over my shoulder ever few seconds. It took everything in me not to break out into full sprint in the opposite direction when Mr. Rifle brushed passed me in a hurry.

"Merle!" Daryl called out and I wandered off to the side as the rest of the cavalry came jogging up behind me. Everyone seemed to be in a hell of a rush to get back to camp before Daryl did. I found it odd and placed myself beside a black jeep parked just within the camp's perimeters. "Merle! Get yer ugly ass out here!" Daryl called again. No one answered his calls and I glanced around as people stared to pop up everywhere. What the fuck was going on? Usually people only crowded around like that when something big was going down. Like a bunch of raging teenagers crowding around a fight. What the fuck had I walked into?

"Got us some squirrel!" I quickly repositioned myself on the other side of the jeep as Daryl stopped by a fire pit and deposited his crossbow. "Let's stew 'em up!" Again, ew. So there was more than one person in the camp interested in eating rodent? I was beginning to feel more and more like I didn't want to be there. But where else would I go? I had nowhere. I had no one. In any other circumstance I would have liked it that way but not with the undead wandering around looking to pick off a loner like myself.

Mr. Rifle tossed his weapon in the jeep and gave me another momentary size up before calling to Mr. Crossbow for his attention. "Hey Daryl? Slow up a bit I need to talk to ya."

Daryl turned looking like he'd rather not and everyone else found places to get a good view. As the seconds ticked by I was becoming less comfortable with the situation. I can usually smell trouble from a mile away, Frank being the exception, and this campsite reeked of it. I leaned against the right side of the jeep and nibbled on my bottom lip in anxiety. The air was thick with anticipation as Daryl asked "Bout wha?"

Rifle boy wiped at his mouth and approached the squirrel toting man. I made more simple observations about the elder of the two as he walked. He definitely had the 'douche bag' walk down pat. Shoulders hunched, arms slightly parted from his body, and his feet stretched apart as if he had something stuck up his ass. If you've never noticed before it's how a lot of guys walk and it's a little amusing. At least it was to me. "Bout Merle." Mr. Rifle didn't look too comfortable with the situation either and I could hear the strain in his voice as he continued. As if he was trying to be careful around Daryl. Not too surprising. Daryl was kind of a loose canon in my opinion.

"There was a uh..." Ugh..The lack of educated speech was like nails on a chalkboard to me. Hadn't any of the guys in this camp learned what proper English was? Because so far I was hearing the language being butchered with southern accents. Oh, right. It was Georgia. I'd had the same issue in New York.

"There was a problem in Atlanta.." He turned and settled his hands on his hips. He'd obviously held some sort of authority in his lifetime because that was the classic 'I have something to tell you and you need to listen to it or else' body language that my uncle used to use. From a trailer the two blonde women observed with a third darker haired one. I could cut the tension with a knife.

"He dead?" Daryl questioned while the Latino and the elderly man set their weapons on the ground. I glanced to them and the Asian guy shot me a smile over the Jeep's hood. "Hey. I'm Glen." He extended his hand but I just stared at it. He looked like a friendly type of person but I wasn't. Hadn't been for some time. I looked back to Daryl who's gaze flickered over for just a second and Glen retracted his hand with a mumbled 'okay then..'

"M'not sure." Rifle boy muttered. I could already sense the anger rising in my savior's voice and he began giving off hostile vibes yet again. Man, was he quick to anger or what? "He either is or he ain't!" Daryl started a slow circle around the other man and I couldn't help but be reminded of two dogs about to rip each others throats out.

Then another of the group stepped in and I could pick up on his 'used-to-be-authority' as well as he strode forward. In a white t-shirt and blue jeans I could have mistaken him for just another man but his walk was just as conceited as the other mans. "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it." He must have had balls of steel to waltz up to an angry redneck like that and try to assert his dominance. Daryl looked him up and down, sizing him up. "Who're you?"

"Rick Grimes." The man replied. Hm. Yet another shitty introduction. Were men physically inept or something? Daryl sneered. "Rick Grimes. You got somethin' ya wanna tell me?" I gulped. I really didn't want to be in the vicinity of the campsite at the moment. Hadn't since I'd arrived and all the testosterone in the air was making it a little hard to breath.

"Your brother was a danger to us all." Rick sounded pretty confident with himself. My mouth dropped open a little for a few seconds as I let that statement set in. Daryl had a brother? Okay. That was going in my journal later on. I had the urge to start writing it in right then but I feared missing a single moment. Then Mr. Grimes dropped the ball.

"So I handcuffed him on a roof hooked into a piece of metal. He's still there."

Oh, wow. Is that how people treated one another in this camp? I backed up a few steps and glanced around, paranoid. Daryl's reaction to this was pretty well expected. Anger. Fury. Frustration. It was all there and I wondered if everyone else was picking up on it as well as me. I guessed not because no one backed up or thought to maybe get the fuck out of dodge. Balls of steel, I tell you. Balls. Of. Steel.

Daryl turned, anger rising off of him in fumes as his rage built up little by little. He wiped his eyes and I frowned. Was he on the verge of tears? I had no idea a man like him was even capable of distress like that. "Let me process this." He turned back to Mr. Rifle and Rick. "You sayin you handcuffed my brother to a roof? AND YOU LEFT HIM THERE?" The breaking point was coming quickly and I pressed myself into the side of the Jeep hoping to disappear. I really didn't like violence. I mean, the world was already going to hell in a hand basket thanks to zombies. Why did people have to continue to start violence within their own remaining circles? It befuddled me why ninety nine percent of humanity could not exist without confrontation. I did it just fine..

Grimes looked at the ground and nodded. "Yeah." Really that was a question that could have gone without answering. The facts were already out there. No need to re-explore them. It only fueled the fire.

The two stared at each other and there was the snapping point. The moment that Daryl ceased to be a (slightly) intelligent human being and reverted to the animal that all people held inside. In fact, observing the next few minutes I got a front row seat to a national geographic episode. One that could have made the top hundred best episodes ever.

The abundance of squirrels went flying towards Rick's head. He ducked and Daryl went after him but Mr. Rifle was on him faster than flies on shit and he tackled Daryl to the ground in a flurry of limbs. People started to run up as if they wanted to do something and I fumed a little. Why was it that people always wanted to gang up on someone? It was like Daryl didn't have a right to be angry. I would have been pissed if someone handcuffed my brother to a roof too. Granted, I probably wouldn't have tried to jump someone but I wasn't a badass like Daryl.

On the ground, Daryl pulled a knife and my breath hitched in my throat. I really didn't want to see any more blood for a few days at least. He went after Rick who dodged it well enough and there was a struggle as Rick and Mr. Rifle tag teamed him, Rick took the knife, and Rifle boy put Daryl on the ground in a choke hold. The feisty redneck put up a fight but it was over from what I could tell. "You best let me go!" Daryl shouted but his defiance fell on deaf ears. I could have laughed at Mr. Rifle's comedic reply. "Nah I think it's better if I don't." Though I wasn't sure if it was for the best or not.

Daryl tried again. "Choke holdin's illegal." I frowned and Rifle boy just shrugged it off. "File a complaint. C'mon now. We can keep this up all day." Rick crouched down in front of Daryl and leaned in, calm as if they were having a conversation about the weather.

"I'd like to halve a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that? He asked. Daryl's chest heaved and when he didn't reply Rick asked him again. "You think we can manage that?" Again he was answered with silence and Rick glanced up at rifle boy and in the next second Daryl was released. I let out the breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding and I looked beside me to find Glen staring right back.

'What the fuck are YOU looking at?' I scowled at him and he looked away with his hands up in defense. "Sheesh! I get it. You're not friendly.." He muttered and though I felt like a bitch for being rude to someone for just looking at me I pushed it down and looked back to the (hopefully) resolved conflict.

Rick was talking again and his voice was low so I had to strain to hear him. "Now, what I did was not on a whim." Oh, really? Because so far I hadn't heard a reasonable explanation for stranding someone on a roof during the fucking zombie apocalypse. Did this man have no set of moral ethics? He continued. "Your brother does not work and play well with others." Neither did I. Did that mean they were going to leave me up on a roof?

From a little ways away a thick-bodied black guy spoke up looking like he'd rather be somewhere else. "It's not Rick's fault." He said and looked away, ashamed. "I had the key." He paused and tapped his foot uncomfortably. "I dropped it." My thought's were exactly the same as Daryl's.

"Ya couldn't pick it up?" He asked on his hands in knees. The black man shook his head. "I dropped it down a drain." Daryl made a noise of despair and hung his head. I felt pretty bad for my savior and in another life I might have attempted to do something or say something to try to make him feel better. But what does one say to someone who'd had their brother left for dead in the scorching heat of Georgia on a roof? Nothing that would help came to mind. Daryl grunted and slowly rose to his feet.

"If that's s'posed to make me feel better it don't." He glared and walked a few paces. The black guy turned with him. "Yeah? Well maybe this will. " He was trying and damn if he wasn't trying hard. " Look. I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him. With a padlock." Hm. Geeks. Of all the things I'd heard the undead referred to so far geeks was a new one. Another thing to remember for my next journal entry.

Daryl made a face, seething and I could tell it was taking a lot for him to remain as calm as he was. Rick faced him and offered "That's gotta count for somethin." and for a second the two men just stared at one another. I could see Daryl struggling not to go after him again and instead of doing that he wiped a few more angry tears from his eyes and shouted "To hell with all a'yall!" and there was an emotional strain to his voice, it even cracked a little, when he followed it up with; "Jus' tell me where he is. So's I can go get 'im."

It was then that the darker haired woman in front of the trailer, whoever she was, chimed in. "He'll show you." She said and looked pointedly at Rick. "Isn't that right?" Oh, that was the 'wife' tone if I ever heard one and I had. My mother used to use that tone with my father when he was in the wrong all the time. I mentally scolded myself for thinking about my family at such a time. I was learning more and more about these people by the second.

Rick lowered his gaze for a moment and I saw him concede to his wife's words in three seconds flat. Wow. I hadn't seen a guy that well trained in a while. He must not have had the steel balls I'd assumed of him because he nodded and set a hand on his hip with a sigh. "I'm goin back." He admitted and I watched the woman's facial expression as she stared off for a moment and then retreated into the trailer. I had to wonder. She'd just told him to go back into the city but then she looked pissed that he was actually doing it? He must have had a death wish to go back into the city. With a wife like that I might have been considering suicide, too. Women confused the ever loving shit out of me.

"Damn.." It wasn't until that moment that I realized there was someone behind me as they spoke and I glanced over my shoulder to see the guy holding the pitchfork. I made a small 'Squeak', jumped, and scampered a whole fifteen feet away from him towards the van. He frowned and watched me go before shaking his head and putting the pitchfork down. "I'm not gonna hurt ya, lil lady." He said but I remained my distance away. Glen looked at him over the hood and shook his head as well. "Don't bother, Jim. I don't think she likes people." He said and I saw the question in his eyes as he looked me over. Jim looked at his feet and then back at Glen and then over to Rick before responding.

"I don't think I can blame her.."

...

**I think in the next chapter you'll be reading a bit more about Mute's past and there will be some attempted interaction with a few of the survivors so you should definitely look forward to that if you're enjoying this fic so far. Until then I look forward to seeing what you readers have to say on this chapter. Much love!**

-MeRci.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary**: Another chapter down and many more to go! Hey all! I feel like it's been forever since I updated this fic. I've been so wrapped up in planning out where this is going that I forgot to post this part after I finished it XD I'm pretty addicted to writing this crap! I have a few more chapters already done but I'll go ahead and wait to post those just to give you guys a reason to keep coming back for more! XD Alrighty. In this chapter we get a deeper look into both Daryl and Mute in separate positions and the girl who refuses to speak makes an unlikely friend and someone is a little hesitant to let her stick around. Read on and let's see just how much more I can twist the view on Daryl.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to TWD or it's characters blahdy blah blah blah..

**Credits**: So far you readers have succeeded in boosting my confidence and I feel the need to throw out a huge **THANK YOU** ! Just because without you guys this fic might have died in it's earliest stages. I hope you know how much I appreciate all of your support!

-ChildlikeEmpress: Haha! Well, thank you. I think most of the credit for the 'local color' has to go to my grandparents because they were both from North Carolina so I grew up hearing the whole 'southern drawl' thing. XD and as far as Mute's psyche there is still plenty to dig through. I'm just slowly letting the readers get to know her. Eventually her whole past and why she is the way she is will be revealed but until then I'm trying to keep you guys guessing! And thank you soooo much. It's because of the great Daryl POV reviews I've received that had me adding another one!

-MyMissingHalo: What a relief! I'm glad you find Mute's craziness enjoyable! and trust me there will plenty more interesting interactions between Mute and her crossbow toting psycho companion XD

-Eris: As always, you flatter me! =D The reason I had Merle controlling most of Daryl's thought process is because in the series I saw him as the typical 'little brother' who's always trying to be like his older sibling. I noticed he was probably the type of kid when growing that had sibling rivalry on the brain at all times growing up in Merle's shadow. I know I would! XD

-ChaoticxTheoreticals: It's good to hear that my O/C is well liked. I had to slam my head against the wall for her to fall out! =D No worries though I'm she'll warm up to Glenn...Maybe. I don't know yet. Hope you like this chapter!

-PlaneJane21: You've presented a point that I tried to get across in the very first chapter. Because when I watched the series it's plain to see that Daryl doesn't exactly fit into the mold of the camp. He's mostly a loner even when he's playing nice with the others. It would make sense that he would understand Mute a little better than most because he knows what it's like to be 'the outcast'. Much love!

-dragoness0420: I'm hoping to give you guys more to think about with Mute once Daryl heads out for Atlanta. I'm just hoping that I can keep from crossing the line between revealing just enough and too much. Thanks for the support!

**Playlist choice**: Unwell- Matchbox twenty.

...

Once everyone dispersed, bored from the lack of entertainment after Rick wandered away and Daryl stormed off, not wanting to be the next source of entertainment I followed my savior. I'd only been in the camp for a few minutes and things were already going wrong. I hadn't even had time to put my bags down before I was wandering after the man who'd saved my ass. Did I have to go? No. But I didn't want to stick around to see what else camp 'fuck up' had in store. Hopefully everyone would just take the time to cool down and come back once they regained a little of their composure.

Three feet behind I followed him until we were well away from the campsite and we entered a grassy stretch of nothingness. Daryl had scooped up his trusty crossbow and it now rested on his shoulder as usual. As he fumed he kicked at the dirt and small stones and dust shot everywhere. I was busy trying to stay out of his crossbows aim as had become the norm. 'He carries that damn thing with him everywhere, doesn't he?' I thought to myself as I strayed left and then right. In his angered state his movements were sporadic and I was kept on my toes as he kept kicking at nothing. But at least he was a little smart. He never went anywhere without his weapon and I could see why with the walker that had wandered out this far from the city popping up. I briefly considered finding myself a weapon but dismissed the thought once my conscience reminded me that I wouldn't ever have the stones to use one. I guess cowardice was in my nature.

"Sonofabitch..!" Daryl kicked at some more innocent grass and then, in a whirl of crossbow and scowls, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face me as if he just noticed I was trailing behind him. I stopped and backed up a few steps. His face was bright red with his rage and he glared at me, menace slamming me in the chest. "Tha fuck ya followin me for?" He asked with venom in every syllable. I just stared at him. He wasn't mad at me, this much I knew, but when people are out of things to be mad at they usually turn on those closest. As in shooting distance.

"Ain't ya got someplace ta be?" He looked deadly but I wasn't too scared of him. What would he do? Hit me? Been there. Done that. Lived through it. He could shoot me but I just couldn't see him being angry enough to do that. At least I hoped to hell he wasn't. I wasn't all that keen on pain though I'd experienced an abundance of it in my twenty one measly years. I motioned to our surroundings and raised my eyebrows. 'Like where?' I wondered.

He must have been able to read me like a fucking book because he threw his arms out. "I don' fuckin care!" He shouted. "Go fuckin find somewhere!" He huffed and continued walking. I considered what he said for a second. 'Nah.' I shook my head and followed after him. As soon as I took little more than four steps he whirled on me again. "Goddammit!" He roared and this time I could have sworn he might shoot me and I stopped in mid-step, watching him carefully.

"I ain't yer fuckin' Keeper! Stop followin me ya dumb bitch!" His chest was heaving and his eyes were wild. I could damn well feel his anger from four feet away. I tilted my head and tried my best not to laugh. 'Well aren't you just a bundle of joy..' Still, if he wanted to be alone bad enough to insult my intelligence I might as well do as he wanted. With a roll of my eyes I shrugged and plopped down Indian-style right where I was standing. Daryl stared at me, hard. I might as well have been an alien in his eyes with the way he was looking at me. Oh, well.

I took both bags off and retrieved my notebook and a pen. Daryl didn't seem to know what to make of my behavior and as he stared at me I lifted a hand and waved goodbye to him. A friendly wave of dismissal with a small smile. He shook his head, muttered "Weirdo..", and continued on his pissy little way still kicking at the dirt and cursing to himself. Jeese. I could understand him being upset over his brother but that was no excuse to go and snap at me. Not that it mattered. The sun was shining and I had things to write before my light died. He would cool down on his own time and I had patience.

I flipped the worn little book to a fresh page and began jotting down little quips and observations about anything and everything.

_Daryl led me to a camp of survivors and all hell broke loose. Apparently he has a brother and he did something to piss the others off enough to the point that they handcuffed him to a roof and left him there. (Possibly to die.) 'Rick' says that 'they'll' rescue him. Who 'they' are I have yet to find out._

Then I began making a list of all the people I'd met so far and the behavior I'd observed.

_**Daryl**: Aka Aka Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._

_**Glenn**:_  
><em>-Asian <em>

_-Too friendly _

_-Twitchy._

_**Rick**:_  
><em>-Might have been authority before the breakout.<em>  
><em>-Handcuffed Merle to a roof.<em>  
><em>-Might be a good guy. The verdict is still out on that. He did say he would help get Merle back. Still doesn't excuse the fact that he put him on that roof.<em>

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy**:_  
><em>-Also might have been authority.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>

_**Sidenote**: Geeks: Another term for the walkers used by the big black guy. See also; Walker, flesh-eater, undead, zombie, ugly mother fuckers, droolers, walking dead, and (my personal favorite) People eating psychos with a lack of basic coordination. AKA PEPLOC..  
><em>

I tapped my pen on the page as I tried to think of anything more I could add but nothing came to mind. Not much of a surprise considering I had yet to see everyone and learn their names. There were a bunch of other players in this game but I would have to wait to get more information on them. It kind of frustrated me. I'd been so busy watching Daryl freak out over his brother that I hadn't been paying much attention to anyone else. I would keep in mind to rectify my mistake and take in as much as possible in the future.

The sound of approaching footsteps had me snapping my notebook closed and looking around wildly for the perpetrator only to see a young boy approaching me. He was coming from the direction of camp and I had to wonder what he was doing wandering around without some sort of supervision. He kept glancing back over his shoulder as he approached and I didn't even bother applying my 'three foot rule' as he stopped at my side and looked down at me with a curious look. He was a child which meant he was a very small threat to me if at all. "What are you doing?" He asked.

I glanced down at my notebook and flashed him the cover. He looked it over and scrunched up his nose. "Mute, huh? Does that mean you can't talk?" He asked. I thought of my response before lifting my hand and giving a 'so-so' gesture. It was the closest I could get to explaining without actually having to open my mouth but it worked surprisingly well.

He tilted his head and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, his hands clasping behind his back giving him the look of innocence that children pulled off so well without having to try too hard. "Is it that you can't? He asked and tilted his head to the other side. "Or that you just don't want to?"

I couldn't help it. I smiled. 'Smart kid.' I gave him a thumbs up to tell him he'd guessed right and he returned it with a grin. "Good. If you don't talk you can't tell my mom I was out here." He giggled and his face lip up with glee as I chuckled along with a nod. Whoever this kid was he sure was adorable. His parents must have been proud and he was pretty sharp for one so young. I hadn't seen that kind of intelligence in quite a while. Most people couldn't even communicate with me. They'd try sometimes but they'd just get frustrated and give up thinking I was just fucking with them.

The kid sat down, picked a tiny flower at his feet, and extended it to me with that sweet smile plastered across his freckled face. It complimented his big eyes and auburn colored hair perfectly. "I'm Carl." He introduced himself. I took the offered flower and tried to think of a way to show my gratitude as I stared at it's vibrant colors. Then it hit me. I turned, scooped up Frank's backpack and held it out for him. Carl just looked at me and I rolled my eyes and indicated for him to take it.

He was hesitant as he unzipped the bag and his eyes lit up at the contents. Hell, I didn't eat the stuff so why not give it to someone who would? Besides, I was getting tired of lugging it around everywhere. He rummaged through all the junk food inside and looked back up at me like it was Christmas morning. "Wow, really? I can have it?" He exclaimed, excited. I shrugged and nodded. "Usually mom doesn't let me have sweets. She says too much sugar makes me hyper." He gave me a toothy grin.

I placed a bloody finger to my lips and shushed him. "As long as you share with the other kids you can have it." I whispered and he nodded vigorously. "I will! I promise!" He exclaimed and he did something that I hadn't seen anyone do since my little brother. He extended a pinky towards me. I nibbled on my bottom lip, contemplating the simple touch for a moment before I confirmed his pinky promise. It felt odd to touch another human being willingly for the first time in years. Not in a bad way. In fact I kind if reveled in it for a second while Carl dug into the bag and found a candy bar. 'Oh, god Mute. Get a grip..'

He munched on the chocolate happily with the bag in his lap as we sat there for a while. I could feel his eyes on me but I was too busy staring at my flower. It looked so odd. So out of place with the stem between my filthy thumb and index finger. It looked as if it belonged somewhere, anywhere else but in my hands. Still it felt good to receive a gift even as small as that one. My gaze was fixated on it's simple beauty even as Carl spoke.

"You're really covered in a lot of blood." He muttered. I nodded and twirled my gift between my fingers. I didn't miss the note of compassion in his voice as he continued. "You must have been through a lot." Again I nodded and my eyes drifted to him as he chewed thoughtfully.

"Me and Ma didn't go through it too bad." Carl sat forward and shifted a little and lowered his treat as he spoke looking out over the large cliff. From where we sat we could see the large quarry below. There were a few people there but I couldn't make out much of what they were doing. "Shane, that's the guy who put Daryl in a choke hold, he got me and my mom out of the city before things got too bad." His eyes lowered to the ground. "I thought my dad was dead. He just came back to us. He says he woke up in the hospital and didn't know what was going on. He said he searched high and low for me and mom and finally he found us..." He lifted his gaze to mine again. "Did you know he was a cop?" he asked.

I shook my head and Carl twitched his nose. "Yeah. He and Shane both were. Dad got shot while working. That's why he was in the hospital." He cocked his head and took another bite of the candy bar. "What about you?" He asked with a full mouth of chocolate. "What happened?"

I was stunned by the question for a second. Of all the people I'd expected to ask me what took place it hadn't been this little kid talking with a mouthful of candy and the purity of a thousand truths shining in his eyes with the sun bouncing off his hair. I frowned and shook my head. I wasn't going to be the one to taint his world. "You don't need to hear of stuff like that.." I muttered.

Carl heard it first but I picked up on it a second after his head lifted to the calls of a woman from a distance. It was coming from some way away but as the moments ticked on I could make out the form of the darker haired woman from before coming our way. So she was his mother? Then that meant that Rick was his father. I would have more to add to my notes but this moment of human companionship was ruined.

"Busted!" Carl grinned at me as he jumped to his feet. "Maybe some other time." He lifted his eyebrows in hope and it took me a moment before I realized that he was referring to me telling him about my past. I didn't want to spoil his mood so I nodded along even though I probably wouldn't be sharing that particular tale with anyone anytime soon. I didn't think it was possible but his smile widened and he zipped up the bag quickly as the woman's form become more defined and her calls louder the closer she got. "I'll talk to you later, Mute!" He waved and bounded over to his mother. I watched as he lifted the bag and it's contents for her inspection. Her gaze wandered to me and she stared for a long moment before ushering him along back to camp. She looked over her shoulder at me a couple of times as she followed behind.

My eyes dropped back to my notebook laying forgotten at my feet once they'd disappeared from sight. The woman hadn't looked too happy that I'd given her son a plethora of sweets in a blood soaked bag. 'Oh, well. If she doesn't like me she can join the club.' I flipped my notebook back open to my previous page and added in what I'd just learned. It's amazing what one can discover just by listening to a little kid. It's not something most people realize because everyone older thought that they knew too much to truly listen to youth.

_**Rick**:_  
><em>-Might have been authority before the breakout. Used to be a cop. Was shot in the line of duty and was hospitalized. Woke up during the outbreak.<em>  
><em>-Handcuffed Merle to a roof.<em>  
><em>-Might be a good guy. The verdict is still out on that. He did say he would help get Merle back. Still doesn't excuse the fact that he put him on that roof.<em>  
><em>-Fought to find his wife and son. Carl.<em>

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Shane**:_  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>

_**Carl Aka 'Sunshine'**:_  
><em>-Rick's son.<em>  
><em>-Sweet kid.<em>  
><em>-Curious.<em>  
><em>-I don't think his mother likes me too much.<em>  
><em>-The most adorable kid I've ever had the good graces to meet.<em>  
><em>-Really likes candy. (What kid doesn't?)<em>  
><em>-He reminds me of Noah...<em>

_...  
><em>

Daryl POV

"God damn it!" I seethed and lashed out at a nearby tree, kickin it as hard as I could. I didn't even feel the pain in my foot until my adrenaline ebbed away. Then it hurt like a motherfucker! I dropped my crossbow and leaned against the trunk and eventually slid down until I was seated comfortably.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed and slammed my fist into the dirt. All I'd been able to think about since the news'd been broken to me, ever so fuckin gently, was how my brother had been left on a fuckin roof with no food. No water. No means to protect hisself, and only a chain and padlock to keep the walkers from him. The fuckin flesh eaters were the least of his damn problems with the Georgia heat. It would kill him long before the walkers would get a'holda him. Or so I hoped. I don't know what I'd do if I found him and he'd turned into one of those disgusting bastards. Fuck. Yeah I did. I'd put a fuckin bolt through his head 'cus I knew for damn sure that he would never want me to let him live as one of those cocksuckers.

How the fuck was I suppose to do that? Put a bolt through my own brother's head? My only flesh an' blood left in the fuckin world and he was dyin all alone like that? "FUCK!" I bounced my head off the trunk and stared up through the leaves at the sky through hazy vision. No doubt Merle would be lookin up in the exact same way dyin of exposure and dehydration. I clenched my eyes shut and tried not to think about it.

'He'll be fine. I'll go get him. He'll raise some hell an' then it'll all be fine. He ain't gunna die. He ain't gunna die. He ain't gunna fuckin die.' I repeated the words over and over until I could at least breath right. It wouldn't do no one any good, least of all Merle, if I didn't get my head straight before goin into the city. Then there wouldn't be just one dead Dixon boy but two. I'd calmed down a good deal since I'd dipped outta camp but my temper was one that needed plenty of time to cool. Who's wouldn't when told their only older brother was trapped like a fuckin animal with no way out?

As I sat there I remembered Merle tellin me once that a Dixon's temper was at it's hottest when ya fucked with his kin. Damn if that wasn't the truest words he'd ever spoke. I could hear my brother's voice plain as day in my ears. 'Ya fuck wit a Dixon..' Merle had chuckled and spit off to the side with an all too serious look to him. 'Ya best be makin peace with yer lord cuz the second ya ain't lookin over yer shoulder yer gonna have hell fallen round yer ears. Now hear that.' He'd nodded and in that moment I had never felt more pride in my dysfunctional family.

It'd been after I got my ass whooped on my way home from school. I'd been 'bout fifteen at the time and frankly I deserved the assbeatin. I didn't think so at the time but once I looked back on it I was able to see that I was in the wrong and the poor sumbitch ended up a bloody fuckin mess for no fuckin reason. It was all over a damn girl of all things.

Mary Louise was her name and she'd been one hot little fuckin bottle rocket. Blonde ponytail, cherry red lips, sexy blue eyes and a rockin body that was always covered in the tiniest bits of cloth I'd ever seen in my day. As a teenage boy it wasn't really my fault that I wanted just a little touch of that smooth, tan skin. I just did it at the wrong fuckin time. She dropped her pencil in class and I'd not been able to resist the temptation of that perky ass stuck right in front of my face. One touch and as soon as I hit the halfway point on my way home that day I got the shit beat outta me by her stocky-jock boyfriend, Steven.

I'd walked in the door and Merle'd jumped at the sight of the shiner and the bloody mess Steve had made of my mouth. Next thing poor steve-o knew he was on the receiving end of a thorough pulverization. Merle hadn't just beaten him. He'd put the motherfucker in the damn hospital and told him if he ever so much as looked at me again he'd blow his head off with a sawed off twelve gauge. Needless to say from that day on I was officially the kid no one wanted to fuck with. I remembered that day as the one that changed me as a person. Turned me into a man. because after that I didn't want Merle to fight my battles for me. I wanted to be big and bad enough to stand up for my own fuckin self. Some odd years later and I was Daryl mutherfuckin Dixon, doppelganger to the badass Merle Dixon. Still, I could never get out of that man's big ass shadow. I would always be the little brother.

I opened my eyes, my vision clear and my temper cooled, and I stood up. There wasn't much to do now 'cept go get that ugly sumbitch and bring him back. 'Wait till he gets a load of Mute.' I thought to myself with a shake of my head. Then it dawned on me. "Aww shit.." I grumbled and sunk back down onto the ground. I suddenly felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

She hadn't done nothin' wrong. All she'd done was try to follow me 'round because she didn't have no place else to go. She coulda just stayed at the camp but I knew she wouldn't. She didn't know any of those people. She didn't know me too much either but she knew me more so than any of them. And I'd gone and yelled at her. Called her a dumb bitch of all things. She wasn't dumb. I knew that much. Fuck she was prob'ly smarter than half the camp combined. How'd I know? I could tell. She had one of those thousand-yard stares and ya could see the wheels turnin in her mind behind those big brown eyes. She was always thinkin. Bout what? The world may never know.

"God damn it all.." I grumbled and rose to my feet again. All I could do now was hope that maybe she'd just forget about it if I apologized. Merle would be laughing his big ass off if he knew I would be apologizin' for yellin at a girl. He'd prob'ly say 'why apologize? It's just a pussy. There's plenty of 'em in the world.' The thing was, I didn't think of her like that. Actually I didn't even think of her as a girl. Not that I thought of her as a man either but she just didn't fit into that category. I'd always known females to be talkative, clean, pretty, soft, and willing. Allison was none of the above. Well, I didn't know if she was pretty. So far all I'd seen of her was pale skin, doe-eyes, and covered in blood. If anythin she was more like a doll. Fragile. A bloodstained porcelain doll.

She sure as hell wasn't talkative. She wasn't clean. Her will was iron from what I'd seen and her shell was rough. Also, she was just about the most unwilling person I'd ever met. Unwilling to speak. Unwilling to touch anyone. Unwilling to come within three feet of me and I'd saved her life. I wondered how large of a berth she gave everyone else. All in all Allison Grey was the exact opposite of everything I'd ever known women to be. Still I had to apologize.

With this in mind I headed back to camp. Only problem was she wasn't there. I strolled back onto the site, set my crossbow down, and looked around for a bit before I just gave up and asked the first person I could find. It was Dale and he was watching Carl and the other kids. I frowned as I noticed Carl holding a backpack that looked all too familiar. A bloodstained one filled with junk food. "Hey, codger! Ya seen Mute?" I asked as I eyed the bag. Carl noticed it and hurried off with a shiteatin grin that I'd practically invented when I was his age.

Dale shook his head but Lori spoke up. "I did." She walked up with her arms cross over her chest and I glanced to the rest of the group. The chink was standin off to the side with Amy while Rick and Shane talked between themselves. I didn't like the way those two brothers in uniform kept glancin my way but I let it go to fry the bigger fish. "Yeah?" I looked to the woman again and she pointed. "Way out there."

"Thanks.." I muttered and turned to head off. I was gettin an odd vibe from her and though I'd never gotten to know anyone in the camp I really hadn't taken a shine to the cop's wife. It wasn't that I didn't like her I just never cared to know her. "Hey, Daryl?" Lori called out and I sighed, turnin to face her again. "Wha?" I just wanted to find the girl, get her back to camp, and then go get my damn brother. I didn't have time for idle chit chat. Not with Merle fryin to death in the city.

Lori tightened her arms and looked away before she steadied her gaze with my own. "Where did you find her?" She asked. I took another quick glance around as suddenly the others in the vicinity moved a little closer to join the conversation. I cleared my throat. "Out in the woods." I answered as simply as possible. I wanted to know where this line of questioning was going.

Shane set his hands on his hips and was lookin at me like I held all the answers and I scowled at him. "She was 'bout to be walker food when I found her and I decided to bring her back with me." Lori looked to her husband for a second and then she settled her hands on her hips too. What the fuck was this? Was I thirteen years old again and bein scolded for bringin a friend home from school?

"Just like that? What do you know about her?" She asked. I actually had to think about that one. I knew her name was Allison Grey and I knew she didn't like people. Other than that I had no fuckin clue. She was a goddamn mystery to me. "Nothin much.." I answered truthfully. Lori gaped at me and she lowered her voice to that 'mothering-wifey-tone' that made me want to punch her in the face for actin like she had any say so in what I did or said. "Are you kidding me?" She raised her eyebrows and I looked around, confused.

"The fuck ya want? Her life's story?" I asked. "Damn, people." I was already bout done with this conversation but the chink spoke up next. To my surprise it wasn't to instigate. "How are we supposed to know anything about her? She can't talk." That would have made a good point if it was true. I rolled my eyes at him. "She can fuckin talk. She just don' wanna." I corrected. That's really when people started lookin at me funny. Like that was actually worse than Allison being a real mute.

Rick held up a hand and leaned in. "Wait. You've heard her talk?" He asked. Did that really fuckin matter? I nodded and went along with it anyways. "A couple times." Lori looked like she wasn't willing to accept Mute's presence one little bit. She was drilling holes into the side of her husbands head. "Rick. I don't know how safe I feel. She just shows up here covered in blood. She hasn't spoken a word and she won't let anyone within feet of her. What if she's unbalanced?" Un-fuckin-believable.

Rick shrugged. "Carl likes her." He said pointedly and his wife rolled her eyes. "That's not the point. She's...Odd. I don't know. There's just something not right about her." I looked from her, to Rick, to the chink, to Shane, and back to her. "What are ya sayin? That 'cus she's 'odd' she don't deserve to stay?" Since when had the camp turned into a fuckin hierarchy?

Lori heaved a sigh and lowered her voice back to that tone again. "We can't just think of one person, here. This could affect the rest of us if she's.." She looked like she was tryin to choose her words wisely. "Not well.." She finally spit out. I stared at her like she'd just grown feathers and started to cluck.

"I don't believe I'm hearin this. She just got here and ya ain't even gonna give'r a chance?" I asked. Dale was right behind me on my side of the argument and he nodded. "I have to agree with Daryl, here. She's different but she's got as much right to stay as any of us." I coulda kissed the old man. Glenn, Amy, and Rick all looked around with knowing glances. They agreed. Well at least I wasn't the only one tryin to stick up for Allison. For a minute there I'd been wonderin if I'd gone crazy and was on the wrong side of this.

Rick looked to his wife and it must have absolutely killed him to defy her will. "They've got a point. She hasn't given us any reason not to trust her." He shook his head and Lori held a few fingers up. "I gave you three." But Rick wasn't bitin and the conversation was pretty much over once he put his foot down. "They aren't good enough. Not for me to turn her away." I woulda congratulated him on growin a set of balls but it didn't seem appropriate and I took a leaf outta Allison's book and kept my trap shut.

Of course Lori wasn't lettin it go without some partin words and she pointed her index finger directly at me. I woulda broke it in half if I wasn't in such a hurry to get this over an done with so we could get around to savin Merle. "Fine. But If she does anyth-" I cut her off with a hand and glared at her. "She ain't gunna do nothin. Damn woman, stop bein so fuckin paranoid." and with that I was gone. Storming out of camp just as fast as I'd stormed in and leavin everyone in the dust.

Lori was just thinkin into everythin too much. Al'd only been in camp a whole fifteen minutes and it wasn't like she'd started doin backflips with a butcher knife or nothin. From what I'd seen she'd just stood there. I had seen the chink tryin to make friendly with her though. If'n it hadn't been for the news about Merle I woulda laughed at his attempt to have her shake his hand. I wonder if he'd gotten it in his head now that he'd been barkin up the wrong tree. Maybe not. That chink was the type who wanted to be friends with everybody.

She was right where I left her. As soon as I left camp I could see her still form seated in the exact same spot as when I'd walked off. Wow. I'd never even had a dog that was that loyal ta jus' sit and wait fer me ta cool down and come back. Or it was possible she'd just found somethin else ta occupy her time with. I noticed she was really attached to that notebook of hers. Bout as much as I was with my crossbow.

She din't look up when I got closer. Sittin with her knees pulled to her chest and a multi-colored flower twirlin between her slender, bloody fingers she was lost in her own lil world. There was that thousand-yard stare again that told me she was in serious thought 'bout somethin I pro'lly couldn't fathom. I eyed the spot on the ground beside her and took a seat three feet away. It hadn't taken me long ta get used ta her 'three foot rule' with me and I wasn't willin ta take n'other kick from her. It mighta not been the hardest kick but it still hurt.

"Din't expect ya ta still be here." I watched her stop twirlin the flower and she slowly turned her head, tilted it slightly, and raised an eyebrow. I took this look ta mean 'really?' and nodded, propping my arms on my upraised knees. "Really. Why din't ya go back ta camp? It ain't safe out here, ya know.." I couldn't say why I got a little pissed at the idea of her blatant stupidity. Pro'lly 'cus I knew she was smarter'n that.

...

Mute Pov.

What did Daryl consider safe? In fact since when was anywhere safe? Anything could happen at anytime, right? So what was the point in worrying over it? If I did that all the time I wouldn't have lasted this long. Taking a few risks every now and again was what made life worth living. Besides, it was an open area and if a walker popped out of the woods to come get a piece of me I'd see it coming and bolt. That was something I'd gotten really good at these days. Running. I'd ran from the hotel room and I was still running. I was sure I'd get tired of it soon.

I shrugged and Daryl sighed. "Well shit. If I'da known ya were suicidal I woulda let that fat bastard have ya back in the woods." There was more than a hint of agitation in his tone at my 'oh,well.' attitude. I pulled my knees in a bit tighter and chewed on my bottom lip. The more I thought about it all the more I felt like a fucking coward. My mother and father had fought so why couldn't I? Even while they'd been being shredded from limb to limb they'd beat at their undead attackers. It was with my fathers last breath that he shouted at me to run. And what had I done? I'd been rooted to the ground and just stared at the scene before me. Then I followed that performance up with giving up with Frank. I didn't even want to think about all the years of avoidance and timidity before all of this. Damn. When was I going to grow up and stop being so yellow-bellied?

Daryl sighed again next to me. "Shit.." He scratched at his head. "'M sorry. 'Bout before too. I was just pissed over Merle. I pro'lly shouldna snapped at ya like I did.." His apology was unexpected and unnecessary. I could understand where he was coming from and it hadn't been my best idea to follow him around after he heard the bad news. I just really didn't want to stick around camp. It was nice of him to come back though. Who knew the crossbow toting psycho had a conscience? I hadn't thought it possible. I went ahead and dismissed all of the things I hadn't thought possible. There were too many. I hadn't thought the undead would walk the earth. Or that Frank would go nuts and try to kill me. Or that I'd ever become even marginally close to being acquainted with a redneck that ate squirrels.

"Ya pissed at me?" Daryl asked. I shook my head and began spinning my flower. I liked the way the action made all of the colors blur together into one mass. After I jotted down my notes I'd stared at the tiny plant as it slowly withered and wilted. It had me comparing it's short life span to that of humans. Looking back I realized that twenty one years had gone by in what felt like seconds. Then I got a weird thought. Could plants, like humans, be aware of their existence? They were born, grew into adulthood, reproduced, and died so did they also have some kind of capacity to feel? If so I felt terrible for being the flower's demise. To be sacrificed in the name of beauty in the form of a gift. What a way to go.

"Ya sure?" He leaned forward to get a better look at my face and pointed. "Ya kinda look pissed." I stared at him and then looked skyward, thinking. To be mad at him I would have to care and I was so used to being treated like dirt that it didn't even phase me. Again I shook my head and tossed my flower at him. It landed in his lap and he gave it a skeptical look. "Yer seriously weird.." He grumbled and brushed the thing off of him like it held a disease. Right. I forgot. He was too much of a badass to accept a flower. He'd probably prefer a dead rodent to add to his collection.

"Well.. Now tha' tha's squared away.." I couldn't tell if he was relieved or confused. Obviously I wasn't fitting the profile of a 'normal girl' to him. A girl who didn't get mad over every little thing? It must have been new territory for him. "..It's gonna be time ta be headin outta here soon so ya should come on back ta camp with me." He stood up and brushed himself off while I picked up my flower again. "Gotta get ya situated 'fore I leave.." I looked up at him and shielded my eyes from the sun's obliterating rays. What was he talking about now?

He shrugged and hoisted his crossbow over his shoulder. "Till I get back with Merle ya can hang out in our tent. We'll figure out what ta do with ya afterward." I was shocked by his sudden generosity. Wow he really was psycho wasn't he? Just a little bit ago he was calling me a dumb bitch and now he was offering me a place to stay? What was the catch? Paranoia ebbed in the back of my mind.

"Well? C'mon. We ain't got all day." He tapped his foot impatiently and I nodded. There was no need to pick his offer apart until he gave me a reason to. I looked at my flower and reached into my bag. I wrapped the flower in a tissue and and tucked it between the pages of my notebook. I wanted to preserve it just for sentiments sake. I couldn't remember the last time I'd received a gift. I think the last time was on my fifteenth birthday when my father gave me my first journal. After that there was nothing. I quickly grew out of celebrating the day of my birth and even Christmas.

I rose to my feet and while Daryl headed off towards camp I followed behind at five feet. Okay, so maybe I was a little sore over his previous insult.

...

**Still reading? I sure hope so! Now that that chapter's done and posted I'm looking forward to writing about what happens to Mute when Daryl leaves which will take place in the next chapter. This is the part I've been dying to get to since the start just so I can get into giving you readers more clues as to who Al really is as a person. Lots of surprises in store so look forward to diving deeper into the recluse's head =D Much love! Until next time, y'all!**

-MeRci.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary**: Okay. In this chapter Daryl finally leaves! Yay! Not yay for Mute but yay for me because I finally get to have my little gal really get to know the other survivors from afar and a few a little too up close and personal. I added an extremely short Glenn POV just for a small part that I thought up and it made me laugh. I hope you guys like it! =D

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to TWD or its characters.

**Credit**: HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS ROCK MY FUCKING SOCKS OFF! I adore you all for your support! Just within a few hours of updating I get to look into my inbox and see so many supportive reviews and it makes me want to cry tears of joy! =)

-ChildlikeEmpress: Ha! Yeah she can pick up on things that some might miss but she'll never point them out! XD Thanks! It's good to know my Daryl POV went over well. Let's hope the Glenn POV is okay! =D

-MyMissingHalo: Damn, woman! O.o Waffle all you want because I can read your reviews all day every day! I'm open to reading it all! Thank you sooo much!

-Synethesiac: Well better now than never, right? I'm super glad you like it so far and I promise there will be plenty more to come!

-Eris: My love! I adore you as well! Can't wait to see the reader's reactions to our odd collaboration! =D GIMME MORE CALI, YO!

-Aussiegirl411: You rock! It's as simple as that! Hope you like this chapter! =)

**Again,** **THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR AWESOME SUPPORT! I CAN'T EVEN EXPRESS MY LEVEL OF GRATITUDE TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!**

**Playlist choice**: Avenged Sevenfold- Welcome to the family.

...

Back at camp things just never seemed to be peaceful. I'd thought that maybe while I'd been off lost to my own thoughts things would be settled once Daryl and I returned. No such luck. We'd come back into camp without much noise but the peace didn't last long. That's the problem with a bunch of strangers coming together for the sake of survival. There are just too many different opinions. Too many personalities that clash and there's always going to be a power struggle. Some are going to want to do one thing and some other will want to do another. At least it started out kind of normal-ish. As normal as a campsite full of zombie apocalypse survivors could be. I think?

The older man who'd wielded the axe was working on a gorgeous red car. Jim and Glenn were next to him chatting. What he was doing to it was anyone's guess. I'd never been a car buff though my father had tried his damnedest with all of his children to fuel some kind of interest in the machines.

There was an older woman folding laundry. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties and though she'd given me a kind smile when I wandered by I gave her as wide a berth as I did everyone else. Seated a foot from her was a man who looked about the same age. His expression was one of distaste, no doubt at my ragged appearance, as he reclined and watched the woman work. They had to be connected in some way or another because I could see the glimmer of possession in his eyes every few seconds as he watched her fold each article before her.

Next to them was the older of the two blondes I'd seen earlier. She was talking with the thick-bodied black man and neither of them even noticed my presence and I felt safe enough to take a seat on a dark blue milk crate next to the fire pit. Daryl lingered nearby and busied himself with his crossbow. Again, I couldn't tell you what he was doing with the damn thing because I new nothing about it. What I did know was it was a deadly weapon that I would rather stay away from.

Carl and his mother relaxed a little bit away from me and Carl waved when I glanced over to him. His mother didn't look too pleased that he was being so friendly towards me but her opinion mattered very little. I'd gotten used to the idea of people disliking me before I even hit puberty.

Shane sauntered over after a few minutes. He looked impatient and I observed his confident steps. I didn't even have to indicate to him not to come too close. As soon as he'd hit the five foot mark, my left foot slid out a little ways. He caught sight of my new position and stopped with his hands up slightly. It was a gesture I knew well because a lot of people used it with me. It was the same one people used when dealing with a skittish animal that looked ready to run. Daryl stopped what he was doing for a second and glanced from Shane to me before continuing with his task.

"Easy little lady." Shane attempted a smile but it was lost on his conflicted features. I couldn't tell if he was mad, happy, sad, or just anxious. I kept my foot where it was. Ready to move if the situation called for it.

Also, what the fuck was with what he called me? 'little lady'? Daryl had referred to me as the same thing and I had to look down at myself. Was I really that little? I dismissed it as my loose t-shirt making me look smaller than I actually was. Or was it a shot at my height..? I wasn't willing to put much thought behind it.

"Just wanted to say hi. That's all. Ya don't gotta be so jumpy." Jumpy? No. Willing to live? Hell yeah. He acted like I was supposed to be friendly. How anyone could be friendly once the world ended was a mystery to me. The zombies weren't the only foes. I'd seen my share of friendly fire since everything started. People were just as willing to kill one another as the zombies were. How was I supposed to know if he wasn't going to just come up and shoot me one day? I couldn't and I was going to treat everyone with due skepticism until I felt damn good and ready. Until then everyone could piss off with their 'just wanted to say hi' and attempted interaction.

Daryl chuckled and shook his head as Shane waited for some kind of response from me. I just stared at him. "Ya ain't gunna get nothin outta her." My savior warned him lightly. Shane didn't look too pleased that he had to hear it from him. Why? I watched their little encounter and tried to figure out what their feelings towards one another could be. So far I perceived how the other survivors treated Daryl like a live grenade. Easy to set off and safer to avoid. "Why dont'cha let her speak for herself?" Shane retorted.

Again, Daryl chuckled and he glanced to me for a second. "Good luck tryin ta get 'er tuh do that." He sat down and I scooted my milk crate away to meet my new five foot rule's requirements. Mr. Crossbow eyed the space between us but went back to messing with his favorite toy without a word.

Shane's gaze flickered from Daryl to me and when I didn't respond to him he made a frustrated gesture with his hands, set them on his hips, and nodded. He got the point. "Alright.." His eyes burned into me before he walked away. There was something about that man that put me off more than usual. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was there. Something about him and the way he looked at me had me shifting on the crate uncomfortably. I wanted as much to do with the man as a rattle snake.

I got the feeling of being watched from behind me and glanced over my shoulder expecting it to be Carl. Instead, Lori's steady gaze stared back. As soon as we made eye contact, though, she quickly looked away. 'Okay. That was weird..' I dropped my gaze to my hands and began picking at the dirt and grime beneath my fingernails to occupy myself. From beside me Daryl was watching. "I think that's thuh firs' time I seen ya do somethin girly.." He mumbled when I looked to him. I shrugged and went back to work on the thick layers of nasty stuff. I wondered if anyone had a pair of nail clippers I could borrow. My nails were beginning to look like claws. Not that I would ever ask anyone if they had any..Fuck it. I could stick with just gnawing them all off.

Some odd minutes later I gave up on my impossible task in lieu of something else. Rick emerged from his tent in cop attire and it was no time before Shane was on him. I could hear the men have a quick exchange of words but I couldn't make out what they were talking about until they got closer. Rick walked off first but whatever he was brushing off, Shane wasn't as quick to let go. He followed, still talking but it wasn't until they were in hearing distance that I figured out what they were having such an intense conversation about.

"-Well Look..." Shane was saying. "I don't okay, Rick? so could ya just..Could ya throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why?" The two men passed right in front of the fire pit I sat next to and Rick stopped. He turned and looked like he'd rather not be having the conversation at all. Shane continued. " Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" I glanced to Daryl at the last name. 'Dixon?' I thought and smothered a smirk. 'Figures..' A redneck last name for a redneck.

I wasn't the only one watching the two and Daryl's head shot up at his brother's name. "Ey." He pointed at Shane and there was a warning to his tone. "Choose yer words more care'fly." But Shane was agitated and wouldn't be taking any lip from him. He turned his head and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." In my opinion Daryl backed down too easy but it was better than him flying off the handle again.

Shane turned his attention back to Rick with a sneer. "Merle Dixon..." He spat the name as if it left an acrid aftertaste. "That man wouldn't give ya a glass of water if ya were dyin of thirst." I scrunched my nose up at the lack of humanity in the man's words. It didn't matter did it? He was still a human being. Didn't he deserve a little compassion? In Shane's mind that would be a no.

Rick didn't skip a beat. "What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst. Me." He leaned in and shook his head. "Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anythin to die. Let alone a human being." He turned and walked off again and Shane watched him go. I watched as well. With me Rick had just earned a few brownie points for having a little sympathy for his fellow man. His wife, on the other hand, was a different story.

"So. You and Daryl? That's your big plan?" She didn't sound very happy with it. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at her, shook his head, and went back to cleaning his bolts. I got the feeling that he liked the woman about as much as I did though we had completely different reasons for it.

Rick looked to his wife and turned with his hands on his hips towards Glenn. I couldn't see the look on his face but I could see Glenn's and he didn't look happy. If anything he looked depressed. "Oh, C'mon.." He sighed and it didn't hit me, until Rick spoke again, what the officer was asking of him. "You know the way." Glenn adjusted his red cap as Rick continued and I was reminded of the little Asian kid from Indiana Jones. "You've been there before. In and out. No problem. Ya said it yourself." Rick wanted Glenn to go with them. I'd be giving the man the same look if he'd asked that of me and Glenn was looking like he'd rather eat squirrel as he ran his fingers through his thick, ink black hair.

Rick went on "It's not fair of me to ask, I know. But I'd feel a lot better if you were along." He glanced over his shoulder at his wife. "I know she would too.." Man, he was laying it on thick. But I could see from the look on the woman's face that she didn't want her husband going and it didn't matter if Glenn was along or not. She also didn't appear to like being used as a way to get Glenn to say yes.

"That's just great. Yer gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane piped up and from behind me the black man chimed in. "Four."

Daryl scoffed as he wiped off his bolts. I could smell the bigotry thicken in the air. "My day jus' gets better'n'better don' it.." He grumbled. I frowned. So what if he wanted to go along? From what I'd heard, the man was part of the reason his brother was stuck on that roof in the first place. He had the right to try to fix his mistakes\ and he earned a few brownie points as well. Yay for the two people with a little humanity left in them.

"You seein anybody else here steppin up to save your brother's cracka ass?"

Daryl didn't look up. He just asked "Why you?" The answer was a shake of the black man's head. "You wouldn't even begin to understand." and from what I could see, Daryl didn't though it was written across some faces that they did. "You don't speak my language." I dismissed that comment as basic bitterness between black man and racist. I thought for sure he was speaking plain English. Maybe a little butchered but understandable all the same.

"That's four." This time it was the elderly man who'd been working on the car. I hadn't seen much of him so I couldn't put a name to a face but he held a lot of respect in the group. Except for Daryl but I suspected that Daryl didn't have much respect for anyone aside from himself and maybe his brother. He was the type who's respect was hard to earn. It had to be because he was a loner. No one wants to be friends with the guy who can't even show a little decency to those around him.

Shane was getting worked up and he huffed with a look of disbelief. "It's not just four. Yer puttin every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. " He jabbed a finger at his friend in accusation. He shifted and settled his hands on his hips to match Rick's posture. "Now C'mon. You saw that walker. It was here. It was IN camp. They're movin out of the cities. Rick. We need every able body we got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp." He had a good point but Rick was determined and there were no if, and's, or buts about it.

Rick turned his head. "It seems to me what you really need most, here.." He paused and his next words caught the attention of everyone. "Is more guns.." I hunched my shoulders and pulled my knees up to my chest to settle my chin on them. This was really starting to get interesting.

Glenn took a few steps forward. "Right.." He looked from Shane to Rick. "Guns." He repeated like it was some great epiphany. Shane shared my sentiments. "Wait..What guns?" and just like that all the men were on board with Rick going back to Atlanta. Go figure. Men hear the word 'guns' and that seals the deal. Damn, men really were stupid. I wouldn't go trying to sneak into a city full of flesh eaters even with the chance of guns. Not even for some magical device that could wipe out all the walkers with just the push of a button. But that was my say so on the matter and it was invalid.

Rick jumped at the chance to convince his friend that going back to the city was a good idea. "Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, and at least over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left." Leave it to a cop to think to go back to a police station when he wakes up in a city full of dead people trying to munch on those still living. His wife sighed and I didn't even have to look back to know she was shaking her head solemnly.

"I dropped the bag back in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sittin there on the street waitin ta be picked up." Rick sealed the deal with Shane when the man asked about ammo. "Seven hundred rounds..Assorted." I could see the resignation in Shane's eyes as he considered that bit of information. He apparently found the idea of firearms extremely appealing. Why couldn't the camp just stick with the weapons they had? They'd worked well enough to this point with no complaints, right? An axe killed a walker just as well as a 9mm did, there was less chance of missing the target, and axes don't run out of bullets. I could see the appeal a gun would hold if surrounded by a hoard but I doubted everyone in camp had good enough aim to take out more than ten or twelve walkers collectively even with guns. Panic tends to affect aim in a big way and I'd seen plenty of people empty a full clip and not hit a single target when under that kind of pressure.

The cop's wife wasn't backing down without a fight. "You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're just gonna turn around and leave?" Her voice was beginning to strain and Carl's timid response to this could have broken my heart. "I don't want you to go.." How Rick could deny that kid was beyond me. I would have broken down and stayed. Rick looked like he was ready to with an expression of exasperation.

"To hell with guns." His wife continued. "Shane's right. Merle Dixon?" She spat the name in the same manner as Rick's brother in arms previously. I concluded that Daryl's brother wasn't very liked. If he was anything like his brother I could see why not. "He's not worth one of your lives even with guns thrown in." She stood up as Rick approached her and I nibbled on my bottom lip. And I thought the way I treated people was bad. These survivors didn't care what happened to Merle. So the fuck what if I didn't know him? I knew he was a person and deserved to be treated like one. I also had to wonder when the woman had changed sides on this. She'd been the one who'd pretty much told her husband that he'd go back into the city to get the man. Now she was fighting tooth and nail against it. God damn it women confuse me.

"Tell me. Make me understand" Her voice cracked. 'And cue the sappy music and waterworks..' I thought with a slight roll of my eyes. Daryl caught it and glanced up to the husband and wife and I'd bet my big toe that he knew Rick would get his wife to agree. As the two talked I eyed my crossbow toting companion. 'Would he go alone if it was decided that the others should stay?' The determination set into Daryl's face had me betting my other big toe that the answer was yes.

Rick was going on about a man and his boy that saved his life. The more I heard him talk the more torn I was on whether he was a good guy or not. ' He has some humanity in him but that could just be a means to an end. Could just be talking out of his ass so people will get off his back over all of this.' I stored that thought away from later and the discussion continued.

"What's stoppin you?" Lori asked in regards to Rick making sure the man and his son didn't walk into the city and fall prey to the giant fucking hoards wandering the abandoned streets.

"The walky-talky.." I'd always hated the name for those things. It was just so..Umm..Silly? "He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer." Shane was seated on the the Jeep and wiped his mouth. I could see from the look on his face that he really was becoming alright with Rick going into the city. 'Some friend you are..'

"Is it our walkies?" Rifle boy asked. Rick heaved a heavy sigh. "Yeah.." The older of the blonde women frowned. "So use the CB. What's wrong with that?" Her brilliant idea was shot down by Shane's rifle of truth. "The CB's fine. It's the walkies that sucked. They're crap. Date back to the seventies and don't match any other bandwidth. Not even the scanners in our cars." He grumbled.

After that it was only a matter of seconds before the conversation was over. Rick, Daryl, the black man, and Glenn were going back to Atlanta to retrieve a redneck and a bag of guns. Lori wasn't happy but everyone else reeked with indifference. The pink elephant in the corner was the risk of all four men losing their lives and no one wanted to acknowledge it then. Of course people would bring it up later and dissect the plan with ultimate criticism but no one was speaking up when it counted. I would have but my only reason to would have been to talk some sense into Daryl which I don't need to state was useless. Daryl wouldn't be listening to something silly like logic when his brother was shackled to a roof with no means of survival.

Everyone fell into preparing and Daryl motioned for me to follow him. With no other sources of entertainment I did so after one last look around. The larger older man watching the woman fold laundry caught my eye with a cold as stone stare and when I made eye contact with him he scowled at me. "The fuck'r you lookin at, freak?" He growled and my eyebrows shot up. 'So it's okay for you to stare at me but not the other way around?' I stared at him for a second longer. I shrugged. 'Sure. Why not? I'm just the resident weirdo.' and I stood and shuffled after Daryl with haste. I was slightly scared of letting the man get too far from me. I was getting the feeling that he was the only reason my presence was being tolerated for the time being. What would it be like when he left?

He led me to a tent and held open the flap with a motion for me to enter. "Go on an' put yer stuff down." He said but I was eying the small distance that I would have to pass in front of him to get inside. It was definitely not five feet. Not even three which I would have accepted just to finally take my bag off and walk around without it's constant weight. I'd been wearing the damn thing for so long that it's straps were chaffing my shoulders even beneath my t-shirt. I'd been ignoring the pain of them rubbing against the sore flesh for a week now with only a few hours in between.

Daryl's brows furrowed and knitted together in the middle. "Wha?" He followed my hesitant gaze. "Oh, c'mon..!" He rolled his eyes at me but I wasn't budging until he gave me my space. I didn't intrude on his so why couldn't he offer me the same? He sighed and stepped back and only then did I dart forward and slip inside.

...

Glenn POV.

I didn't want to go back to Atlanta. Who in their right mind would? It wasn't fair. I just got back and now Rick wanted me back in the thick of things risking my life again. It was his comment about his family feeling safer that sealed the deal with me. I couldn't pass up being the nice guy. It was engrained in my DNA as an Asian to please everyone so no one hated me. In that moment I hated my race more than anything on the planet.

As I sulked I wandered around to see what everyone else was up to. Ed was still watching his wife like a guard dog ready to snap if she stopped, Lori was busying herself with chatting with Amy sore over losing the argument with Rick, and whoever wasn't preparing to leave was just sitting around enjoying their day. Lucky bastards. I didn't have that luxury. Nope. I had to worry about being killed instead. I shoved my hands in my pockets and watched the silent girl follow Daryl.

I couldn't figure either of them out. Daryl was a loose canon with no sense of ethics or morals but he'd saved a helpless girl? That sounded more like something I would do but most definitely not the redneck without a conscience. And the girl was just as confusing as he was. Daryl had told some of us that she could talk but didn't want to. She must have been that way long before the outbreak. No one just decides to stop talking. I understood where Lori had been coming from when she'd thought the young woman was possibly unbalanced but she looked plenty sane to me. She avoided Daryl just as much as she did the rest of us so she had to be right in the head.

I watched Daryl move out of the way so 'Mute, or so he'd called her, could pass by into his tent and she did so with a haste that I'd only seen in squirrels running from Daryl's crossbow. So far Mute's reaction was the same from person to person. She stayed away and watched everyone from a distance. Of course that scowl she'd tossed my way when I'd tried to say hi was new. Did I give off a bad vibe or something?

Daryl caught me staring. Shit. "The fuck ya starin at?" The redneck growled at me. "Go on! Git!" He made to advance and I held my hands up in defense. "Jeese! Sorry!" I grumbled. He was awfully touchy today. Probably had something to do with his brother being abandoned but there was no need to snap at innocent bystanders. Oh, who the hell was I kidding? I wasn't innocent. Just a little curious. I shoved my hands in my pockets and kicked at the dirt as I sauntered off.

Passing by Shane the man chuckled and shook his head at something and I stopped. "What's so funny?" I asked. The older man glanced at the tent and shrugged. "Nothin." I knew he was laughing at me for not standing up for myself. I hunched my shoulders. "You can stand up to him but I'm not going on the redneck menu when he runs out of squirrel.." I grumbled and Shane slapped his knee with a laugh. Great. Now I was a comedian..

...

Mute POV.

Inside the tent I was surprised at how much space there was. Even when Daryl followed me in there was plenty of room for me to adhere to my five foot rule. I looked around at my surroundings and took it all in. It smelled like sweat and dirty man but I guessed that was just from the tent being used. I could see Daryl and his brother going hunting often and never bothering to put the thing out to pasture. 'How old is this thing?' There was a pile of clothes that reeked stuffed in the corner. Mostly shirts with the sleeves cut off and wife beaters stacked on top of pants that looked a lot like the ones Daryl was wearing. In the pile I glimpsed only three pairs of jeans. 'Wonder who's they are. Daryl's or Merle's..'

"It ain't much but if'n ya feel like ya wanna get away from everyone this place's as good as any." Daryl spoke behind me while I dropped my bag onto the ground. My shoulders hunched in relief and eased of their tension. I massaged the right one and it groaned beneath my touch. Just a few weeks after the world was ending and I'd aged from twenty one to sixty two. I looked forward to being able to relax a little once the opportunity presented itself which I hoped would be soon. I indicated to the two cots. I didn't want to make a move without making sure it was okay with Daryl first. Who was to say if he'd have one of his bipolar moments and shoot me?

He shrugged. "It don't matter which one ya use. I don't care." He pointed to the one on my left. "That one's Merle's and the other's mine." He took a seat on the cot to the right and rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. His crossbow he set down on the ground where it sat forgotten and I stared at it as I contemplated sitting down. I figured I might as well get comfortable. This would be my sanctuary until Daryl returned with his brother.

'If they come back'. I was shocked at my own pessimism but it dragged out a very odd thought. What IF they didn't come back? For some reason I didn't like that thought very much. I'd just met the man but he'd saved my life, had brought be to a safe (Kinda) place, and even gave me a place to be away from everyone. He didn't have to do that. It was the nicest anyone had been to me in a long time though. Not that he was my favorite person in the world. He was an asshole but he could be a nice asshole.

"Ya alrigh?" Daryl asked with hesitation in his tone. I snapped out of my thoughts and sighed before sitting on the opposing cot at the end. It may not have been five feet away but it was decent. I guess it was at least four. Was I alright? That was a matter of perspective. I was alive and I wasn't in immediate danger but I was stuck in a whirlwind of thoughts that didn't fit me.

Daryl took my sigh the wrong way and the asshole was back. "Well if ya don' like it yer welcome ta stay outside. Don' matter tuh me none." He huffed in offense. See? Bipolar as shit, this one. I shook my head to tell him that wasn't what was on my mind. He looked around. "It ain't thuh tent?" He asked and I shook my head again. The tent was great. It was the most shelter I had since I hid in an abandoned building a week and a half ago that smelled twice as bad as this thing. "The fuck is it then?" He questioned.

Everything? No. That wasn't an appropriate answer. Death. Yeah that was about right. I'd seen far too much of it for my tastes. First it had been a lot of the people in the motel. That's what I got for wandering the halls when I got bored. I saw my first walker next to the soda machine three rooms down from ours. At first I thought it was just some psycho who escaped from an institution but when it turned to me and settled it's lifeless glazed gaze on my exposed flesh I could see it for what it really was. All of my worst nightmares had come to life. I was just glad my father believed me when I ran back to the room and told him what I'd seen. The funny part about that was they hadn't even realized I'd been out.

He locked the door and for a few minutes we were all safe. Once we let our guard down was when it all went to shit. I forced myself to skip over that little detail in my mind. After the gruesome scene it hadn't gotten any better. I ran and shacked up with a small group that by morning had abandoned me. There were lots of people who liked to do that in my past. I was unwanted. Easily forgotten. My own real parents didn't even want me. The woman who'd given birth to me? Ran off with some drug addict. My father? Ran off with a hooker. Everyone else? I could almost hear the collective voices saying 'who's Allison?' And my adoptive mother and father weren't that great. Did they care? Yeah but sometimes even they forgot about me. I had to run after the car before they left me behind in NY. Usually they paid more attention to their real kid over me or Noah. So far for the measly day and half that I'd known Daryl Dixon he was the only constant in my life. Frank didn't count. He tried to kill me. Daryl'd even had the decency to come back after being an asshole. I didn't even care if it was only because he felt sorry for me.

I stopped chewing on my lip as I tasted copper and stared at my feet. "Just don't die.." I muttered. I didn't have to look up to know that my savior was staring at me like I'd grown another head. He was silent for a few seconds. So silent that I could hear the crickets chirping in my head. "Ya know I wasn't exactly plannin on it." He finally said and the sarcasm was palatable. I was being serious and he was making a joke out of it? 'Sadist..'

The fact that I still didn't look up must have tipped him off that I didn't find it funny because he quickly followed it up. "Don' worry bout it. I'll be fine. I'd think ya'd not want me tuh come back. Then ya'd have this luxurious tent all tuh yerself." I frowned at him. I didn't lack a soul like some of the others and if he thought I did then one day I would have to get around to talking enough to ask him what made him think that. Daryl scratched his head and looked like the thought of trying to make me feel better was the worst thing he'd ever had to do. With his 'fuck you' attitude I expected nothing less.

"I'll be back tuh keep the rest of 'em" He motioned with his hand to the tent opening. "at bay 'fore ya know it. Unless Merle kills me fer not comin' fer 'im sooner." I accepted that that was the best I was going to get out of him and nodded. So far we'd developed the odd kind of 'friendship', and I'm using the term very lightly, that one could compare to an abused dog and an alpha pack leader. 'He's only being nice to me for now. Once I get used to the place he'll show more of his asshole side.' It was a fact. Not an opinion. He could barely even look at me most of the time. I think the most eye contact we'd held could total up to maybe five seconds in all. He knew I wouldn't be talking to or approaching anyone else for a long time if at all so he was only working on helping me out for the time being. He even said so himself. Once he got back with his brother he would find out what to do with me. As in pitch me off onto someone else or do what he could to make me independent. If that happened I would end up wandering off on my own eventually and he wouldn't have to worry about the paranoid girl he'd saved. It was all a means to an end.

From outside the tent came Shane's voice. "Daryl. Ya goin or not?" and that was the cue that our little encounter was over. When I glanced back at Daryl he was stony faced as ever with that 'I'm a badass and ya'll know it' Air about him and he stood up and headed out of the tent. "Ya better behave yerself while 'm gone. Don' go wanderin off by yerself." It sounded more like a threat than a piece of advice. I followed him as was the usual, avoiding the prying stares of a pretty and slender black woman, the two Blondes, and the woman who'd been folding laundry, until Daryl hopped up into the back of the van. Then I didn't exist again.

He became impatient not long after that and I gave a tiny wave as he slammed the door closed and they drove off. I was sure he didn't even see it. 'Oh, well.' I shrugged. I turned and the campsite was full of eyes and ears. Both of which were searching for some kind of clue from me that I was scared. 'Remember. They can smell fear.' I mentally kicked myself in the ass and hung my head with my hands stuffed into my crusty, stiff pockets. It was high time to find someplace to be.

I could have just isolated myself back in the tent but since my arrival I'd become rather fond of looking out over the quarry. It reminded me of a different time. Of my first home with my biological parents. There had been a really big lake a few blocks from that house and I used to like sitting beside it when mother and father dearest would argue. I was pretty young back then. Eleven or twelve. The still surface was a fragile thing. If so much as a speck of dusk landed on it ripples would appear. Small in the middle and extending out into it's depths. I like to think that the ripples don't end when you can longer see them but continue until they reach the shore. But that's just my pathetic optimism hoping that it's life span is as long as possible. Something so awe-inspiring shouldn't die so quickly. Or maybe that's the beauty of it. The fact that it's life expectancy is so short it makes one want to savor it for the moment that it exists.

I spent hours on that lake shore thinking about things that no eleven or twelve year old should think about. Like why people fight so often but remain in the presence of the one they argue with or why humans seek to 'better' everything around them with their own ideals. Take buildings for example. The earliest humans used to build shelters for themselves that were simple and that didn't corrupt the environment to the extent of modern times. The world was a beautiful place. Why did people find it necessary to ruin it by creating giant structures to house and work within? It all extended back to the beginning of bargaining. Even cavemen did it. If one had something that another wanted they would attempt to trade something for it. Then money came along and people went crazy over the shit. I never liked money. It was, as my parents used to say, the only means to survive. That was truer than I ever wanted to believe.

It was hard for me to be able to earn money when I didn't even want it. But I couldn't stand the thought of being stuck with people for the rest of my life. My plan was to work, save up enough money, and get a small place of my own. Somewhere I could be alone. A job was hard to find for me because I can't stand people. I ended up working the graveyard shift at a certain monopolizing cooperation. I was a stock girl. I spent every night putting things away and not really having to interact with anyone else and it was easy to keep my distance. I'd been so close to having enough saved up to move out when I had to give a lot of it up to help my mother and father pay the enormous bill for the funeral service and start from scratch.

"Hey, Mute..!" I jumped and nearly fell flat on my face. I'd been trying to find a place to be alone and just think when I came upon the axe man's RV. The elderly man was sitting atop the large vehicle and watching Carl who was chucking rocks into the quarry. The kid had one hell of an arm on him to be able to throw so far and I entertained the curious thought of whether or not he'd ever played baseball. Watching him throw those rocks I was reminded of watching Noah at his age playing catch in the field with our adoptive father. He'd been so happy back then. Every time I think about it, though, I occasionally wonder if he was just pretending to be happy. Smiling so no one would know.

I waved and made to walk on by but Carl wasn't allowing it. The kid seemed to enjoy my presence. Probably because I gave him a backpack full of junk food. He called me over and I couldn't resist his youthful charm. I was always a sucker for kids. At one time I'd wanted a few of my own. That was before I stopped talking. Back then I used to dream of meeting a wonderful man, marrying him, and having children. Those were pipe dreams that died with my innocence.

The elderly man acknowledged my presence with a friendly incline of his head and a wave. My gaze shot to the ground and I kicked at a stone near my foot before wandering over to the small boy and sitting down with my back to the RV and the man. Carl didn't waste a second and plopped down right beside me. Down by the quarry there were a few females and from what I could see they were washing clothing. Once everyone left I would try to sneak down on my own and do the same and take the chance to wash off. I was tired of the blood and grime caked on my skin. It was all cracked and flaking and my clothing was stiff. It was itchy and uncomfortable but my fear of people had me waiting to rid myself of the small nuisance. Until then I would ignore it like the rest of my problems.

"Ya know. I think they're gonna be alright." I looked at Carl for a few seconds before I realized he was talking about Daryl and the others. I nodded. I wasn't sure if they would be but I wasn't going to kill the boy's optimism. He had a bright outlook on life just like everyone else did at his age and I wasn't so cruel as to shatter that kind of hope. "Ya wanna know why?" He asked. I nodded. 'Sure. I'll bite.'

"Because my dad's with them. He wouldn't let anything bad happen." His chest puffed out in pride for officer Grimes and I nodded again. I could remember being that sure of my two father figures. I used to believe that both my biological father and my adoptive one were invincible. That is until they both proved me very wrong and smashed all my little ideas of how they would always be there for me like both of them had promised. My biological father used to tell me I was the light of his life. He said me and Noah were all he could ever want. Then he up and left without a word. Our adoptive father had followed up with saying the same thing to all of us kids. Then he'd died. It didn't improve my self esteem one bit which was already in the deep negatives.

Carl obviously loved his father very much to put that kind of faith in him. I really wished that I could have had the same thing. Then maybe I wouldn't have turned out so thoroughly fucked up. Oh well. Such is life. All one can do is play with the cards their dealt and push forward. Carl must have been torn apart thinking his father had died. Which had me thinking again about whether or not Shane had known if Rick had been alive. Alive, alone, and confused in a city full of death and chaos.

"Hey, Carl!" I didn't miss the bit of coincidence when that familiar voice rang out. 'Think of the devil and he shall appear..' I tried not to smirk to myself as Carl twisted his head around and his face broke out into a huge smile. He must have really liked Shane, too. Well, the man had ensured both his and his mother's safety. He had a right to be happy seeing him. "Hey Shane." He waved and I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he didn't get too close to me.

Rifle boy was holding a bucket, a net, and a goofy grin as he waved the things in his hands. "What say you and me go catch us some frogs?" He waggled his eyebrows from seven feet away. An acceptable distance for the moment. Carl lit up like the fourth of July and he nodded eagerly. "Yeah!" He then looked at me, tilted his head, and asked "Ya wanna come?"

I was taken aback by his offer and had to debate it. I liked the kid. He was full of the kind of optimism that would be good for me in large doses. But I wasn't going anywhere with Shane. Not then and I didn't see it happening in the future either. Not with the stares he'd given me so far. They made my skin crawl. I shook my head. Carl's smile faltered for a moment. "Ya sure?" I could see that he really did want me to come along with them but that didn't make me want to change my mind any more than confidence raining from the sky would. I smiled and shook my head with a shooing gesture with my hands. 'Nah. Go have fun, kiddo.'

His smile was back and he stood up. His sudden absence from my side making it slightly cold. "Alright. I'll talk to you later. If I catch any I'll show 'em to you, okay?" I nodded and the kid jogged over to Shane who's gaze lingered on me. Again, I got the uncomfortable urge to shift. I felt like a small mouse beneath his gaze. That stare did little to deter my comparison of him to a rattler. I found myself fighting the urge to take off running for Atlanta to find Daryl. We may not have the best feelings towards one another but I felt safer around my crossbow toting psycho savior than I did alone.

"Ya sure ya don't wanna come, lil lady?" Shane handed Carl the net and he smiled. "Always room for one more." I cringed at being called 'lil lady' again but shook my head as politely as I could all the same. Even if Shane and I were the last people on the planet I wouldn't have gone anywhere near him. In fact, I'd try to stay as far as possible from him. Maybe hunker down in Antarctica.

Shane shrugged. "Alright." He gave in and his gaze was on Carl again. I could see the affection shining in his eyes for the boy as he hooted "More frogs for us!" and they both took off, racing down to the quarry. I watched Carl go hoping he didn't trip and get hurt. There were the oddest similarities to Carl and Noah and I couldn't shake the fact that I was growing fond of the kid enough to not want him to find harm in any way. Even a skinned knee could break my heart.

"Not very fond of people are you?" I glanced over my shoulder to see the elderly man on top of his RV gazing at me in the same way I did to other people. Like I was a puzzle that he couldn't put together. Good. I didn't want anyone to know me. If they did they probably wouldn't let me stick around. Not that it was the most appealing idea to me either but it was a safer situation than wandering the woods on my own. Even if I had escaped Frank that lone walker that infiltrated the camp when I'd arrived would have killed me. There was no doubt about that.

I went back to staring out at the quarry in attempts to ignore him. I could have moved but there was no real reason to at the moment. Axe man was a safe distance from me and he wasn't much of a threat in my eyes. I could outrun him if needed. But that didn't stop him from trying to talk to me. It was a common challenge. 'Here comes the next contestant..' I thought to myself and then I had that song from Nickelback stuck in my head.

"Can't say I blame you but doesn't that make life pretty lonely?" I exhaled slowly. Lonely? That was an understatement if I ever heard one. But I liked it that way. No people means no stupid shit. No drama. No expectations. No stress. It was just simpler to ignore everyone than to assert myself into their lives. Besides, I talked to Carl and Daryl right? So it wasn't like I was completely alone. I had two people that I could stand. I wasn't nearly as lonely as I used to be.

"Ya seem to get along with Daryl. Bout time someone did besides his brother. And Carl's taken a shine to you which is good for him. He needs a friend or two." Axe man either wasn't getting the point that I didn't want him to talk to me or he didn't care and he was just making small talk with the mute girl to amuse himself. Either way I wasn't biting. I sat there like a bump on a log and watched Carl and Shane reappear on the shores of the quarry.

The man continued. "So that's two people who like you." I could have laughed. 'Like me? Daryl?' The old man should have been a comedian. Daryl didn't 'like' me. He was tolerating me until he would get bored or fed up. Whichever came first. "Makes me wonder why you avoid everyone else. Who's to say who else wouldn't like you if you gave 'em a chance." A chance? I'd given plenty of chances in life to lots of people but no one took them for what they were. I had very few chances left to give and I was divvying them up sparingly. Daryl and Carl already got two of them and I was running low.

"Oh. I see. Are you scared of us?" Axe man asked. 'Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Can someone please give this man a prize?' I rolled my eyes to myself and wrapped my arms around my knees which I tugged into my chest roughly. "So you're scared of me?" Was I scared of him? I shrugged to myself. 'Yeah. Kind of...' He got a good chuckle out of my shrug and I began chewing on the inside of my cheek out of nervous habit. Sometimes I would bite into it so deep that it would bleed heavily and I'd end up gulping down large amounts of my own blood. I lightened it to a nibble remembering how sick consuming my own blood had made me on occasion when I'd ingested too much of it.

Finally the old man sighed, his amusement fading. "Seems to me like the world is lonely enough. Even more so nowadays. So why not make as many relationships with the few left that you can while you still have the opportunity?" Well he was a wise one, I could give him that. I could tell he had a lot to share with the younger folks and I liked that but it didn't give me the incentive to talk to him. Not much would.

I was given a reason to not want to stick around when Lori came sniffing around looking for her son. I kept my eyes on the quarry and the boy in question as she wandered up with a bundle of sticks in her arms. "Hey Dale?" I could feel her eyes on the back of my skull but my gaze didn't falter. I was determined not to show her any form of weakness in hopes that maybe she'd just leave me be. "You seen Carl?" She asked. 'Hmm..Dale..' I processed the name and stored it away.

"Shane took him down to the quarry. There was some mighty bold talk about catching frogs." He informed her. I listened to her footsteps as she paced to the edge of the overlooking ledge, sighed, and then retreated. I could smell conflict from a mile away. She didn't sound too happy that her child was in the care of Mr. Rifle. Another thing I would have to keep an eye on. I wanted to figure out all of the people and their relationships in the camp. It was a vital part of my survival tactics. Knowing how people tick makes it all easier.

I watched Lori go wondering exactly what I'd done to cause her to feel so ill towards me. I couldn't recall doing anything that she might disapprove of and I hadn't so much as looked at her funny. So what if I gave her kid some junk food? Food is food when the world ends. 'No need for the stink eye, lady.'

"You're really good at not talking." Dale was back to trying to get me to communicate with him. I made a small noise as I smothered a scoffing laugh. 'Years of experience..' I thought to myself, amused by his simple observation. He might have been better at the whole 'watching people' thing than I was. "Still. I don't get why you do it.." He told me. Well that one would be the easiest question to answer if there ever was a need to. 'It's a habit. Once I realized no one was listening I made it easier on them. I just stopped. When no one cares what I have to say why would I say it?' It would be absolutely illogical and I pride myself on having a brain that can comprehend concepts such as that. Of course it never stopped people from trying to talk to me. I think others saw it as a personal challenge. It was a game to some. 'Who can make the mute girl talk.' That's what I liked to call it and everyone lost.

I've had people hurl insult after insult at me trying to goad me into retaliation. I've had people smother me with false kindness like I was stupid enough not to catch on. All in all it never worked and they all walked away with their tails tucked between their legs. If I wanted to I could go back to talking up a storm but by this point I'd just gotten so used to communicating with facial expressions and hand gestures. They came across better than anything I could say. What's that expression? Actions speak louder than words? Yeah. That's right.

Silence had another plus side to it. I'd been hurt and left behind so many times that all I wanted now was to be left alone. My dream was to be a hermit and everyone leaves you be when they can't even succeed in communicating. My dream had been coming true. Then the world ended and I was back to square one. I had to beat these survivors off with a stick with how much they wanted me to interact with them.

"I guess what I'm trying to say here.." Dale gave it one last shot while we both watched Lori confront Shane. I had been right when I guess she wasn't happy with him. I really wanted to know why. I'd ask Carl about it but I doubted he would know. Something was fishy between Shane and Lori and it piqued my curiosity. " Is I don't think it's us you should fear." Lori stomped off and a few minutes later there was another commotion. The women washing the clothing stopped their task when the older man with the rude demeanor strode over. I watched as the man got violent with one of the women and then Shane stepped in. I had a front row seat to the pulverization of the wife beating bastard but it also concluded that I was right about Shane. He had a whole shitload of unresolved anger. Some of it he was taking out on the man's face. Over and over and over. I lost count after he hit him for the tenth time.

I tore my gaze away from the unadulterated violence and looked back to Dale as I stood up and shoved my hands in my pockets. I stared at his face as he lowered his binoculars. He looked so disappointed. Like he'd just found out that his grandchild started smoking. I kicked at the ground and shook my head. I looked down at the scene in the quarry one last time. "There's plenty for me to fear.." I mumbled and wandered off. It was time to seclude myself in that tent and it was calling my name. I had a lot to add to my notebook.

...

**WOW I think Mute talked a whole TWO whopping times in this chapter! Could that mean she's becoming comfortable enough to open up a little? ...NAH! Anywho in the next chapter I'll be putting a few more interactions with more campers and maybe we'll get another deep excavation into Mute's mind. Much love!**

-MeRci.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary**: A shorter chapter than the previous ones. I went ahead and decided to split this and the next chapter into two completely different days. I understand that it would be difficult for Daryl, Rick, T-dog, and Glenn to spend the night in Atlanta but I just don't see a day being THAT long so it's split up. We get an ever deeper look into Mute's head and Shane gets his own POV this time around. Why? Because I just felt like spicing things up a bit! =D

**Disclaimer**: I don't own rights to TWD or any of it's characters.

**Credits**: Holy cow. One more really great review like the ones you guys have been giving me and I might just cry! Tears of joy!

-Eris: I'm sure if she was a real person Mute would love you too. =D

-ChildlikeEmpress: Thank you. Sorry this chapter isn't as long. But I hope it's enjoyable all the same!

-MyMissingHalo: I f-ing LOVE your waffling. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside! Thank you soooooooooo much. I keep reading over your reviews because they just make my day! XD

-Marc:WILL DO! ..Or..I'll try at least! XD

**Playlist choice**: Easier to run - Linkin Park. (I found this song and it has permanently become Mute's song.)

_I can't stop thinking about the past today. It's there and it's just not going away no matter how hard I try to clear my head of these thoughts they just keep abrading my mind. It wasn't as bad until I met Carl. He's one of the survivors in camp. Son to Lori and Rick and the sweetest damn thing I've ever met. He reminds me so much of Noah when he was his age. So kind. So compassionate. He's just all-around Noah and it's heartbreaking. It's only been a day and I already adore the kid. Not much of a surprise there because of his resemblances to my kid brother._  
><em>I'm glad Noah didn't live long enough to go through this hell on earth. It would be nice to have him around but he's better off where he is. At least I don't have to worry about seeing him walking around craving human flesh. I wouldn't be able to handle that. In fact I'd probably kill myself if I ever laid eyes on such a sight. Thinking about Noah keeps dragging up other things that I'd prefer to forget. I wish I could get it all off of my chest but I'm stuck inside my head and it's like a cage with no door. I just keep pacing back and forth going through all of the little details and sinking deeper into this quicksand of despair.<em>  
><em>I've resigned myself to the position of 'camp freak' but that's nothing new to me so it's not much of a bother. I just wish that Daryl would get back. I may not like him much but he was the only thing keeping the rest of the camp from hounding me. Now that he's left for Atlanta I've had more people trying to talk to me. Like Dale and Shane. On that subject, I have yet to figure out all of the group dynamics. I know Shane is a big part of group leadership just because he's bigger and badder than most. I'm guessing if he can take down Daryl he has to be a tough guy. Lori doesn't seem to like him very much. I got a good look at some of her feelings towards him today when she learned that he'd taken Carl down to the quarry to catch frogs. I need to gather more information and fast. I get the feeling that I won't have much peace for long. I hope it at least lasts the night. I want to clean up and get some sleep.<em>

I turned to the page in my notebook where I'd been jotting down things about the people I'd met and added a few things. I was killing time until people disappeared into their respective shelters so I could pop out and scurry around without a soul to bother me. Daryl had told me not to go anywhere on my own but what did he expect? I didn't want to be within seven to fifteen feet of some of the survivors. My varying degrees of given space where different from person to person.

_**Daryl**: **Aka Aka Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._  
><em>- Went off to Atlanta. He's letting me kick back in his tent until he gets back.<br>-Says he'll figure out what to do with me when he and Merle return.  
>-Racist. (Go figure)<br>-Doesn't seem to like Shane too much. I can understand where he's coming from on this one.  
>(Five foot rule)<em>

_**Glenn**:_  
><em>-Asian <em>  
><em>-Too friendly <em>  
><em>-Twitchy<br>-Went to Atlanta. He's got to be a good guy to risk his life for a bunch of people he doesn't know all that well.  
>-Knows the city well. Could be useful if we ever leave this site.<br>(Seven foot rule)_

_**Rick**:_  
><em>-Might have been authority before the breakout.<em>  
><em>-Handcuffed Merle to a roof.<em>  
><em>-Might be a good guy. The verdict is still out on that. He did say he would help get Merle back. Still doesn't excuse the fact that he put him on that roof.<em>  
><em>-Went to go get Merle and a bag of guns. <em>  
><em>-Has a 'more holy than thou' leadership aspect to him. He got to camp about the same time as I arrived and he's already a big part of the leadership totem. <em>  
><em>(Ten foot rule.)<em>

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Rattler Aka Shane**:_  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>  
><em>-Didn't want anyone returning to the city. <em>  
><em>-Lori and he have an odd relation to one another that I have yet to figure out.<em>  
><em>-MAJOR ANGER ISSUES! <em>  
><em>-Beat the shit out of one of the survivors for hitting his wife. <em>  
><em>(As much space from him as humanly possible! fifteen foot rule? A hundred foot rule?)<em>

_**Carl Aka 'Sunshine'**:_  
><em>-Rick's son.<em>  
><em>-Sweet kid.<em>  
><em>-Curious.<em>  
><em>-I don't think his mother likes me too much.<em>  
><em>-The most adorable kid I've ever had the good graces to meet.<em>  
><em>-Really likes candy. (What kid doesn't?)<em>  
><em>-He reminds me of Noah...<em>  
><em>-Lots of faith in his father.<em>  
><em>-Wanted me to catch frogs with him and Shane. <em>  
><em>(No distance rule.)<em>

_**Lori Aka 'The cops wife' :**_  
>-<em>Reunited with her husband.<em>  
>-<em>Keeps giving me the stink eye<em>  
><em>-Might have a split personality. She told Rick that he would go back for Merle then argued that he shouldn't go later in the day. <em>  
><em>-Doesn't like Shane hanging around her son.<em>  
><em>-Kind of melodramatic.<br>__(Twelve foot rule?)_

_**Dale Aka Axe man: **_  
><em>-Has an affinity for cars. <em>  
><em>-A wise man<em>  
><em>-Holds a lot of respect in the group.<em>  
><em>-Designated babysitter.<em>  
><em>-Thinks I don't have anything to fear from the others. (Yeah right. He was definitely proven wrong not even a few seconds after saying it.)<em>  
><em>(six foot rule.)<em>

_**Jim Aka 'Pitchfork'** :_  
><em>-Kind of quiet.<em>  
><em>-Likes to hang around Dale.<em>  
><em>-Might be experiencing some sort of mental breakdown. I saw him digging on my way back to the tent. <em>  
><em>(Fifteen foot rule. Maybe ten.)<em>

Setting my pen down I took a glance at the tent opening. Night had finally fallen and the darkness seeped through the thin fabric of my temporary shelter like a thick black ooze consuming anything and everything in it's path. Daryl and Merle had a small lantern in the tent which I was using to help me write but I wouldn't feel right using all of it's fuel. I listened extremely hard for any signs of movement within the camp but all I heard was the steady chirps from the crickets. No people. 'Finally.' I thought to myself and for extra measure I poked my head out of the opening flap. Even the fires were burning themselves out. The only person I saw was the obese asshole who'd called me a freak earlier. His face looked like a large hunk of hamburger. 'Shane really did a number on him..'

I couldn't be sure if I agreed with Shane's actions. No, that wasn't true. I agreed with it until he went into overkill with the beating. After the fifth punch he could have stopped. He should have stopped. But he'd just kept right on going. I think at that point he'd stopped seeing the man for who he was and only saw him as a punching bag.

Either way the guy was passed out with a blanket tossed over him. How he could bare to show his mutilated face after the beating was beyond me. Maybe he was trying to show Shane that he wasn't afraid of him nor ashamed of the beating he'd received. I slipped back into the tent again and jotted that down too before flicking off the lantern.

_-The guy Shane beat up might have balls of steel..._

Then I slung my bag over my shoulder, left my notebook where it was, and headed out of the tent, slipped past the unconscious man, and headed for the quarry. It wasn't a long trip by any means and there was enough moonlight to give me enough lighting to lead my way. I only stumbled a few times but I made it to my destination in a couple of minutes unscathed.

It was eerily quiet by the shore. Nothing moved and the only sounds were an occasional slap of a fish's tail on the surface and the quiet lapping of the water against various rocks. At least I could be assured that I'd hear a walker coming if one strayed out this far again. They weren't exactly the quietest creatures on the planet. Their footsteps alone were enough to distinguish them even without their terrible moaning. Those moans, groans, and screeches could drive one mad if listened to over an extended period of time. Just one night in that abandoned building I'd been the victim of torture as walkers paced the street below. I'd gotten maybe a half hour of sleep that night.

I dropped my bag and dug through it. I had one article of clothing that hadn't been completely ruined yet and didn't smell as bad. It was what I'd been saving in case I ever got the chance to wash my others clothes. I didn't want to have to sit around naked while my clothing dried. I liked to think ahead and I pulled out the only dress I owned. It was crammed at the bottom of the bag in a small bundle, the soft, slick material preventing any type of wrinkling. It was a red dress that fell to about my knees. With a low back it tied around the neck and had pretty yellow and orange flower designs all over it. The material was one that I hadn't encountered in any other article. It wasn't silk but it wasn't cotton either. It was slightly gritty when rubbed between two fingers but it was comfortable against my skin. I used to wear it when it was too hot out to even wear shorts.

I set the dress aside and dug out my only jacket. It was a worn thing. When I'd first gotten it it was just a plain black zip-up hoodie but within four years in my possession it was now a faded black and had a giant bleach stain on the back with smaller ones all over the arms and hood. Those bleach stains had been intentional. I'd gotten tired of the jacket's bland look and spiced it up a little. Of course people always asked me how it happened. I guess the thought of intentionally staining ones jacket with bleach was a foreign concept.

I stroked one of the arms affectionately. The tips of the sleeves were more damaged than the rest of it because I used to chew on them and rip the threads out so now they were stringy with holes all over. It didn't matter to me though. I loved it and it was warm on even some of the coldest nights. With no need for a bra I just set aside a pair of clean underwear and began dipping the rest of the clothing in the water. I scrubbed continually at every single piece until I was satisfied with the results. Blood doesn't come out right away from everything so I would just have to accept that my clothes were permanently stained with the life force of others. There was nothing I could do about it.

Once my clothes were placed on rocks to dry I stripped off the ones I was wearing. My shirt was the first to go and I began scrubbing at it and wringing out all the dark, blood-stained water and scrubbed at it some more. It went on a rock when I finished and then went my jeans. They were much harder than anything else I'd washed and it took me, by my guess, twenty minutes until they too were set out to dry. My bra and panties were much easier and soon I was dipping a toe into the water.

"Fuuuuuccccckkkkk a duck...!" I hissed and jerked my toe back out. The water was cold as a witches tit on a winter's night. I folded my arms over my chest and shivered as I looked around. I was still alone, thank god. I took a deep shuddering breath. I would have to grin and bear it because the only other option would be to walk around filthy and that would be unacceptable.

It took me a few minutes to wade out into the clear water and I shivered the entire way with my eyes clenched shut. The occasional breeze didn't help at all but I ignored the bone chilling liquid that had my teeth chattering. I'd brought another t-shirt out into the water with me and it was with that that I began to scrub away at my goosebump-ridden flesh. I wasn't gentle with it either. First was my left arm and I rubbed at it until it hurt. Then came the right arm, my chest, stomach, and then the rest of my body. Once I got to my waist I was finally getting used to the water's temperature and the subsiding of my shuddering made my task a whole lot easier. Until I lowered the rest of my body into the water to wash my hair, that is.

My hair was the toughest job. I couldn't even run my fingers through it with how thick the blood had matted into it. If anyone was looking down from the overlooking edge they would probably see me with a large pool of blood seeping out into the water around me in a giant circle. A human body contains eight to twelve pints of blood depending on the size of the person. I had about six smeared all over me and clotting into my brunette locks from my brother, my father, my mother, Frank, and a few others I'd witnessed torn to shreds before my all seeing eyes.

I wasn't able to actually run my fingers through my tangled hair until most of the blood and grime was washed away. Then my job became much easier and soon I was lifting my head from the water and wringing it out. I watched as the moonlight illuminated the dark water slipping and sliding over my hands as I twisted my locks. I gave it one more thorough rinse and then headed back to the shore. I'd left out another larger t-shirt and though it was just as filthy as the one I'd been wearing I dried off with it and dressed quickly. I couldn't get my jacket on fast enough. It was cold as frozen shit when the cool night breeze hit my dripping skin.

Once I was dressed I shoved my feet back into my shoes and and washed the shirt and set it out to dry. I knew none of my clothes would be dried until morning and I hoped no one would touch my stuff. I sat down on the shore and pulled my knees to my chest. I didn't feel like going back to the tent just yet. I liked being alone but I didn't like being cramped into such a small space for too long either. I thrived on fresh air. Even when I used to lock myself in my room for days at a time before the world ended I would sit by my open window and just enjoy the small, flitting breeze and the smells of the city. I closed my eyes and settled my chin on my knees just listening to the peaceful night.

...

Shane POV.

I couldn't sleep. Not with all the shit of the day. First Rick came back and completely ruined what I had goin with Lori. It wasn't like I wasn't happy that he was alive. He was my best friend for fuck's sake but that didn't make it hurt any less when Lori decided that because her husband was back that meant I could go anywhere near her or Carl. Like I was s'posed to just forget about everything we'd done together and the bond I'd developed with her boy. I'd replaced his father from the time I'd gotten them out of the city till Rick came around. How the hell was I supposed to move on just like that? It wasn't fair of her to ask me to do it.

Then we had to deal with Daryl. Not only him but he'd brought back a girl to camp. Not just any girl neither. One that didn't wanna talk or get near anyone. When I'd tried to talk to her she'd looked 'bout ready to bolt as soon as I came within a few feet. And Daryl wasn't makin the situation any easier. He pretty much stuck to her side from the time she'd arrived and was doing everything he could to keep everyone from gettin near her. It was like he was her watch dog or somethin'. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. So far I only saw him treat her with indifference unless someone came within talkin' distance of her. He'd even got onto Glenn just for watchin her.

My day hadn't gotten any better when Rick decided he wanted to take four of our men back into Atlanta for fuckin Merle goddamn Dixon and a bag of guns. If it weren't for that bag I woulda argued with him some more but I couldn't deny the usefulness of guns. Now that the walkers were heading out of the city in search for more food it wouldn't be much longer before camp was full of 'em. Guns were a precious commodity and even though I wasn't happy to let anyone leave camp I was lookin forward to actually having the rest of the survivors armed and ready for whatever shitstorm blew in next.

Then after the group was gone Lori chewed me out for spending time with Carl. It wasn't my fault that I'd grown attached to him and just the day before she was encouraging me to play daddy for him. Now that Rick was back in the picture though she was out for blood if she caught me with him again. Talk about some shit. I'd taken my anger out on Ed's face after that. I didn't feel too sore over it. Ed was a trouble maker from the get go and undermined my authority every chance he got. It was only a matter of time before he pushed me too far and today had been my snapping point. I'd seen the bruises he left on Carol and his daughter and I wasn't goin to let it happen again.

I rolled over and stared at the space Lori had slept in not even a night ago. I'd been laying awake for damn near an hour now and I was sick and tired of it. Maybe a walk would clear my head enough for me to get some rest.

Getting up I put my pants and shirt back on and exited my tent. No one was up and about. Good thing, too. I didn't know whether or not seeing another person would make my night any better or worse. I passed by the fire pit and kicked sand onto the embers flickering and saw a cigarette pack sitting next to the chair Ed usually reclined in to watch his wife work. I bent down and looked inside to see that there was still half a pack left and Ed usually took his cigarettes with him when he went to bed.

I frowned and straightened upright, taking a look around. I couldn't see much of anything much less Ed but I scanned the area with a narrowed gaze. With no Ed in sight I headed off in the direction of the quarry. It was a leisurely pace I wandered at with my thumbs hooked into my belt loops. It wasn't until I could plainly see the waters edge that I caught sight of the cherry of a cigarette burning as Ed inhaled the carcinogens into his lungs.

I stopped and watched him for a second but he was ignorant to my presence. In fact he was lost in his own little world staring at something down in the quarry pretty intently. With one hand on his hip and the other flicking the ash from the cancer stick he looked really fixated on whatever had his attention. I finally announced my presence by clearing my throat. "What're ya doin out here, Ed?" I asked in my best 'stern cop tone'.

The man jumped slightly and I could see the fear in his eyes as he looked over to me. He waged war within himself, looking me up and down before motioning to the water and flicking his cigarette away from him. "Just enjoying the view. Nothin illegal 'bout that." My eyebrows knitted together and I followed his gaze as it returned to the surface of the body of water and I could have laid him out again right then and there.

There was someone in the quarry. A female someone. A naked female someone coming out of the water with her arms wrapped around her middle. A closer look confirmed that it was the mute girl. I shook my head, glared at Ed, and pointed a pissed off finger at him. "Ed. Ya best get the fuck outta here or I swear I'll break yer fuckin neck." He didn't look too pleased that I was interrupting his little peep show. That fuckin man was married and had a daughter and he had the balls to watch a girl bathin? "Why?" He asked. "It ain't that big of a deal. Ya seen the tits on her?" He shrugged. He must not have learned his lesson earlier.

"Ya realize you'd be dead if Dixon saw ya watchin her instead of me, right?" Ed didn't look back to me and I'd had it. I wasn't gonna be ignored by a son of bitch like him. I descended upon the bastard and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pushed him away from the edge. I then placed myself between him and his view and pointed back towards his place of residence. "Get. Unless ya want Daryl hearin bout this. Then it won't be my fist you'll be tastin. I guarantee he'll shoot ya for this and I wouldn't stop him neither ya piece of shit."

Ed glared at me through swollen eyes and stumbled as I pushed him again. "Don't fuckin test my patience, Ed." I warned him. He stared at me for a long minute before straightening out his shirt and walking off with a huff of frustration and disbelief. I watched him go until he disappeared back into his tent with his wife and kid. He didn't even stop to pick up his cigarettes. I dropped my hands to my sides, shook my head, and sighed. That man had to have a fuckin death wish. It wasn't like the girl was any different than the rest of us. Well actually she was really different but she still had the right to bathe without someone watchin her. Whether I'd tell Daryl about his stupid fuckin blunder or not I didn't know yet. I hadn't been lying. If Daryl had caught him watchin Mute in the quarry Ed woulda had a boot up his ass and a bolt between his eyes before he even knew what was coming. That Dixon boy had a hair trigger temper and it was obvious he'd taken responsibility for the girl he'd bought back with him.

I glanced over my shoulder to see that the girl wasn't in the water anymore. She was fully dressed and sitting on the shore. I watched her for a moment as she pulled her knees to her chest. Then a thought hit me. Now that Daryl wasn't around maybe I could get her to open up to me enough to tell me her name or where she came from. Everyone was curious about her origins and maybe they'd accept her a little more if they didn't have to wonder so much. People fear the unknown after all.

I looked back towards Ed's tent and then headed down to the quarry. I wouldn't be tellin the girl she'd had an audience. That would probably have her runnin for the hills before mornin.

...

Mute Pov.

I thought 'PEPLOC' when I heard the footsteps. I'm not so sure that I was relieved when it was Rifle boy. Upon hearing them I listened hard for the usual shuffling that accompanied a walker's steps. Sometimes the feet drag. Occasionally the steps are quick and spaced very close together. That usually happens when they get excited over a possible meal. These footsteps were even and confident. I opened my eyes and looked to my right just as Shane came within twenty feet and I immediately sat up straight. Alert and ready to roll and haul ass. 'Is he fucking stalking me or something?'

Before he even thought about invading the fifteen foot mark I placed my hands behind me and braced myself, ready to jump up and run as usual. He stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets looking rather frustrated that I gave him a wider berth than most. Did he understand why? I don't think he realized that I saw what he did to that man earlier. It hadn't given me a reason to let him close. If anything it just made me want to keep him even farther from me. 'Stay back, Rattler. One more step and I'll throw a rock at you and run..' I thought to myself and eyed him from afar. I didn't have an arm like Carl but even from this short a distance I could hit him pretty hard. My fingers curled around a small stone beside me and I gulped.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya." He said and I rolled my eyes. 'Yeah. I'm 'Mute', not 'Deaf'. I heard you and the others the first couple of times.' He looked at my clothing scattered on the local rocks and then back at me. "Well ya clean up nice." He attempted a smile but the same way as earlier it didn't really fit his features. I found his smiles to be creepier than his narrowed gaze. In my opinion he looked like a psycho when his lips tilted up. I guess I was just used to seeing him grimace, scowl, and frown more often than not. My fingers tightened on the stone. 'Go away. Go away. Go the fuck away.'

"Thought I heard someone movin around down here so I thought I'd just come down and see who it was. Didn't expect you to be pokin your head outta that tent till Daryl got back." He chuckled. Whatever joke he thought he was cracking was lost on me and I just gave him a blank stare. He motioned towards my clothes. "Ya coulda asked for some soap. I'm sure Lori or Carol had somethin ya could use." God damn this man was dumber than a box of rocks. I was practically screaming at him with my eyes to leave me the hell alone. And why the fuck would I ask Lori for anything? From what I could tell she hated me. Well, maybe not hate but there was no way in hell she liked me any.

"Okay. What the hell?" He asked. "Did I do somethin to offend you?" He held his arms out to the side and the second his foot moved forward I was on my feet. I chucked the stone at him with everything I had and hit him in the chest with it before hauling ass passed him. "Hey!" He shouted and as I blurred by he grabbed me by the arm and jerked me backwards. "The fuck was the for?" He stared hard at me and I did the only thing that popped into my head. I took a leaf out of the walker's books and bit him on the arm. It wasn't until I felt the flesh give beneath my teeth that he let out a shout of pain and let me go. He reached for me with his other hand and I kicked him in the gut. As he doubled over I broke out into a sprint and I didn't stop until I was inside the tent again and diving on to Daryl's cot. Earlier I'd been intent on using Merle's but once I got a whiff of the stench it carried I'd changed my mind really fucking quick. His cot smelled like piss, vomit, and dog shit all rolled up into one intolerable reeking mess.

'God damn it, Daryl..Come back...' I clenched my eyes shut, pulled the quilt over me, and curled up into a little ball. My chest was heaving and my heart racing. My panic button had only been gently pushed when Shane had made to advance but his hand on my arm had sent me into a frenzy. I could only hope that he wouldn't follow me back to my current place of solace and seclusion. This tent was my safe haven at the moment and if he came in I would, no doubt, take off into the woods and never look back. To say I was having a shitty day would be the biggest understatement of the year.

I flicked on the lantern hoping that there was enough fuel in it to last for a while and scooped my notebook and the pen off the ground. I regretted leaving my bag and clothing behind but I hadn't had much choice. I was just glad I'd had the sense to leave my precious notebook in the tent. There were a few others in my bag. Some older and some that hadn't even been written in yet and I hoped against hope that no one went riffling through my most personal thoughts. I would try to go back for it in the morning. For the time being I added a few details to my observations page fighting the urge to take off for Atlanta again.

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Rattler Aka Shane**_:  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>  
><em>-Didn't want anyone returning to the city.<em>  
><em>-Lori and he have an odd relation to one another that I have yet to figure out.<em>  
><em>-MAJOR ANGER ISSUES!<em>  
><em>-Beat the shit out of one of the survivors for hitting his wife.<em>  
><em>-Followed me down to the quarry tonight. He got too close and when I made to run he grabbed me. That's the second time I've been touched since I entered the area.<em>  
><em>(As much space from him as humanly possible! fifteen foot rule? A hundred foot rule!)<em>

_Sidenote: I REALLY want Daryl to come back..._

As I closed my notebook again I heard Shane's footsteps coming closer to the tent and my heart sputtered and jumped up into my throat and I quickly turned off the lantern. 'Just keep walking...PLEASE just keep walking...' I begged and pulled the quilt around me tighter. It smelled like Daryl. I hadn't really gotten close enough to him to know what he smelt like but I'd gotten a whiff or two standing downwind from him. He smelled like man and sweat and even though it was kind of musky it was comforting.

The footsteps stopped right outside the opening and my knuckles turned white from the force that I was gripping the quilt with. I could hear Shane sigh and I bit into my lip. 'Go away. Go away. GO AWAY!' I clenched my eyes shut so tight that it hurt until Shane's voice came through the flap. "I didn't mean to scare ya, Mute. I'm sorry." His apology went unanswered. He could say he was sorry until the rednecks came home and I wasn't going to be forgiving him for the shit he'd just pulled.

A few minutes later his steps retreated and I was able to breathe normally again. I didn't open my eyes. I couldn't. There was just too much excitement for me in one day and my body was drained. It wanted..No. It needed rest and as I lay there curled up on the cot bundled up in Daryl's quilt I used my last thoughts to wish the man back. I didn't want to be stuck in this camp alone anymore. The thought hadn't been appealing in the first place but now it was downright loathed.

...

**Yea or nay? Can't wait to see what you readers have to say about Ed's little perv moment! I only stuck that in there to give the fic a bit more substance. Just a way to show that the other campers are fully aware of Daryl and Mute's strange little 'friendship'. In the next chapter the camp gets swarmed by walkers! But...OH NO! WHERE'S MUTE? As always..Much LOVE! Till next time!**

-MeRci.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: **Howdy! Welcome to chapter 6! Okay, well I really hope this chapter came out decent because I wrote it while sick. In fact as I'm writing out this summary I get the feeling that I might puke. Yep..Gonna puke. Anywho. We've got some more run-ins with campers and a 'fun' dinner of fish with a side of walker camp invasions! YAY! =D Enjoyyyy!**  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own rights to TWD or any of it's characters.  
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**Credit: **Okay, that's it! I definitely cried while reading the reviews this time around! Just a little bit and they were tears of joy! I love you guys!

-Marc: Well you don't have to worry too much about this story following the series too much. I'm going to continue it along with the series once the new season come out but I'm also going to have my fic branch off into one of my own doings. So I'm sure you'll probably like that. Or..I hope so!

-Synethesiac: Oh wow thank you! I was worried about my Shane POV but you just made me feel a whole lot better about it! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you!

-ChildlikeEmpress: YES! I was hoping I wasn't the only one who wouldn't expect to see a dress being worn by anyone on TWD. That's actually why I threw it in there. Just to add to Mute's character of being different from most. I know I wouldn't think about having a dress handy when the world ended! XD Re-read? Wow, you rock!

-Pin-Chan2: Haha! I know! But I'd run away if someone threatened me with a Dixon beating, too! and you'll just have to see what goes down concerning that bite of his! :P It'll be fun to write I'll tell you that much! XD

-MyMissingHalo: Woman, I can't even tell you how much I look forward to your reviews every time I post a new chapter! Your waffling makes my day, night, and afternoon! Daryl's space rule should dimish over time but we'll just have to see. :P Reading your review made me smile because yes, I could imagine the look on Shane's face when he got hit with a rock too! Priceless!

-Eris: There is no possible way that you could love my story any more than I love yours! Thank you for supporting me through both this fic and the others. You help keep me going! Love ye! =D**  
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**Playlist choice**:

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Daryl POV:

I had half a mind to kill the nigger once everyone went to sleep. After leavin camp I'd told him that Merle'd better be Ok. Of course he hadn't been okay. Not at all. Unless ya count handless and lost 'okay'. We'd gotten to the roof to find Merle gone. Sawed off his own hand to get off that damn roof and fuckin went through hell to get outta the buildin'. Now I was in an even worse position than before. At least I'd known where he was. Now I had no fuckin clue and no way to figure it out. I did know one thing, though. He would pro'lly head back to camp sooner or later and raise fuckin hell. That didn't bode well if he found Mute sleepin in our tent. 'Fuck...'

We had to hunker down in the damn building. On the roof no less. Once the sun started goin' down officer 'leave a man for dead' decided it would be a good idea to go after the bag in the mornin. I couldn't say it was a bad idea but I didn't like spendin the night in the walker infested city. It wasn't the best social situation either. The stress levels were sky high as we were tossed into darkness. I shifted, turnin my back to the others as they all sat around chattin like a couple of schoolgirls tryin to decide who to ask to prom. I was alrigh' with bein the one left out of their little clique. I just wanted mornin to come so we could high tail it the fuck outta there.

"Umm..So Daryl." The chink cleared his throat from behind me to my left. "Are you really as much as a badass as everyone thinks or is that just some sort of cover?" He asked. I turned my head and squinted at him in the dark. In the moonlight his eyes looked even slantier. "S'cuse me?" I growled. Making small talk with him wasn't what I considered a favorite way to pass the time but it would hafta do for the moment.

He shrugged. "Well..I mean you saved that Mute girl so you have to have a soft and sensitive side, right?" I coulda shot him for even suggestin' such a thing. Daryl Dixon? Soft and sensitive? And I thought chinks were supposed to be smart. I scrunched my nose in disgust and glared at him. "Ya makin a pass at me, chink-eye?" I growled.

For a second he looked confused. Then his slanted eyes went wide and he shook his head furiously. "Ughhh..Never mind.." He grumbled and followed it up with a shudder. "Ew.." I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Rick. I really din't like that man. Even for the simple fact that he was a cop. It's why I din't like Shane. Well, it was ONE of the reasons I din't like Shane. That guy was just a douche bag plain n' simple. Merle and I had never been big fans of the law. Growin up like we did we had plenty of run-ins with men just like Officer Grimes and his trusty side kick.

"I can't believe ya got us stayin in thuh fuckin' city when Merle's still out there somewhere." I motioned out to the city. From below I could hear the walkers groanin' an' moanin'. They had tuh know we were up there like a bunch of fuckin' sittin ducks jus' waitin to be used as chew toys. How the fuck could Merle survive in that? He was one tough sumbitch but he din't have night vision. Had he found someplace safe to hide?

Rick sighed and the gravel crunched as he relaxed. "Yeah? Well it was the safer option of the two. It was gettin' dark. Would you rather we went after the bag at night?" He asked. His 'I know better than you' attitude had been grindin my gears since he waltzed into camp like he owned the fuckin' place. Mother fucker'd just shown up and was at the top of the food chain. Why? 'Cus he wore a badge? In case no one noticed, the fuckin' world ended and so did the rules of society. His previous authority meant shit now. No walker was goin to think twice bout takin a bite outta him or Shane jus' 'cus they 'upheld the law'.

"Only if you have a death wish." The nigger spoke up. Yeah, that's exactly what I needed to make me feel better bout the situation. A mouthy nigger standin up with the cop. What kinda fucked up irony was that? I glared at him. "Well s'cuse me if'n I'm in a hurry tuh git my brother back." I grumbled. Was no one understandin' this? I din't give a flyin fuck bout the guns. I had my crossbow an' I din't need nothin else unless I ran outta bolts. I'd been keepin' a close eye on my usage of 'em and even made sure to retrieve 'em to preserve what little ammo I had.

The nigger seemed to find somethin funny bout what I said 'cus he chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah. I'm sure that's all it is." He said and I bristled. "Tha fuck ya talkin' bout, P-Diddy?" The chink leaned forward as I arched an eyebrow an' glanced round at all of 'em. I din't like the way they were all givin' each other that weird look like they all knew what the others were thinkin.

"What I think he means is you're in an awful rush to get back to camp, aren't you?" Officer knowitall rested a forearm on his knee and I frowned. Of course I wanted to get back. din't they? "With Merle." I stated flatly. I had a really bad feelin' bout where they were all goin with this and I din't like it one bit. 'Cus it was wrong. Dead wrong. Walker wrong.

"Back to the mute chick." The nigger snickered. His comment punched me in the face an' left me gapin at him for a moment. So they were insinuatin what I'd thought. Were they fuckin kiddin? They obviously thought I had somethin for Al. 'Sorry boys but no. I don'.' I shook my head in disbelief. "Tha fuck ya thinkin?"  
>Glenn was lookin like he'd rather be somewhere far away from the roof an' for the firs' time since we'd met I agreed with him. Rick shrugged and looked over the ledge as he leaned his back against it. I watched him observe the walkers below. Was he thinkin the same thing I was? Bout Merle findin someplace safe to stay for the night? Nah. Pro'lly not. I noticed that the others din't think it was a big deal that my flesh an' blood was out there fendin for himself in a world full of shit that wanted nothin more than to kill him. "Oh, nothin. Just that you're in a hurry to get back is all." Rick shrugged.<p>

I jabbed my finger at him with determination to squash whatever little assumptions they were makin bout Mute. "It ain't what yer thinkin. She jus' don' like people an' she's my responsibility fer thuh time bein'. " I narrowed my gaze to my best intimidatin' glare. "Thuh more 'M round the less people'll fuck with her." Sayin it like that made me sound like her guard dog but I din't really care. It wasn't like I had tuh answer to any of these fuckers. I jus' wanted to clear the air of misconceptions.

"I've been meanin to ask about that girl." T-dog rubbed at the back of his neck and stared at the roof with boredom. "She just showed up and ain't spoken to anyone yet." I rolled my eyes again. Yeah. So? Was he goin to be givin me the same crap Lori had? If so they could all shove it up their asses. I shook my head, my temper already on the rise. "Correction. She ain't spoken to none of you yet." I huffed. Glenn cleared his throat and he looked me up and down like I wasn't worthy tuh even be put in his chinaman soup.

"What makes you so special?" He asked. The fuck? I was lost. I shrugged and fiddled with the strap of my crossbow, antsy. "I saved her life?" I shrugged again. "Gotta coun' fer something." I then smirked and looked at them all in turn. "Maybe she jus' don' like cops, niggers, an' chinks."

Glenn held his hands up in defense and made a 'tsktsk' noise. "Oooh Touchy." Rick and T-dog both chuckled and I picked up a piece of broken gravel and chucked it at the chinks face. The near miss whizzed by his head. "Fuck all of ya. I don' give a goddamn what ya'll think. Now who's takin first watch?" It would be hard as fuck to fall asleep knowin Merle was out there on his own and walkers could break onto the roof at any moment. We'd barricaded the door with a big ass block of wood but it wouldn't hold if there were more than two or three shovin on it at a time.

At least the cop was willin to change the subject. "I will." He volunteered. The chink sighed in relief and laid down on his side with his arm tucked 'neath his head. "You won't hear me complaining." He grinned. T-dog chuckled and pointed at him. "We will when you take second watch." That spoiled chink-eye's mood real fuckin' quick an' he groaned. "Damn..."

I never though' I'd see the day that I'd trust a yella-man with my life but there it was. I sure as shit wadn't gunna trust the nigg though. I cleared my throat. "I'll take third." I wasn't goin to be gettin much sleep anyhow so I might as well make myself useful. T-dog stretched his thick arms over his head. "Now that's what I'm talkin bout. A brother gets to sleep." He leaned back next to Rick and his eyes drifted closed while I continued to sit exactly how I was. If I was lucky I'd start feelin groggy in an hour or two. 'Till then I'd be mindin my own damn business and I was hopin Officer Dick would do the same. There wasn't goin to be no fuckin' 'bondin time' between me and that asshole anytime soon. Not after he held a fuckin gun to my head.

...

Mute POV

"Al! Come on! Pleeeaaaaseeee? I'll trade ya!"

I was dreaming. I knew I was because that was the only time Noah's face swam before my mind's eye and his voice rang out so clear. I looked down at my hands and nodded. Yeah. I knew this dream well. It was one I had quite often after the incident. It was a compilation of a few memories of him of various ages. The current one was always the same that started it off. He was ten at the time. I was fifteen. We'd been living with our adoptive family for almost a full year by then and Glenda and Thomas were in the phase of gaining our affections by spending money on us. I never understood why they did this. I never asked them for anything because there was nothing that I wanted more than peace, quiet, and Noah always by my side. I had all of those at the time so what more could I have ever needed? Food? No. Noah's happiness was my sustenance. Air? His spirit breathed life into me. Rest? He had enough energy for the both of us.

I looked down at the Snickers bar in my hand. Glenda had picked us both up a candy bar while at the store. She'd given Noah a Three Musketeers. That was the first indication that our adoptive parents knew little about either of us. Noah's favorite candy was Snickers. He could go on and on for days about the chocolaty junk and how much he adored it. I dangled the bar in front of his face and stuck my tongue out. I didn't like candy. Never did. I would have preferred a green sour apple but it was still fun to tease my kid brother. Mostly because he always played along. He knew I wouldn't eat it but he never wasted a chance to stick out his bottom lip and quiver it in such an adorable gesture that I couldn't bear to keep anything from him. I loved that look. Once he got older he would stop using it and it would be then that his innocent days would officially be over. I caved, tossed the candy bar to him and then tackled him and began tickling the ever loving shit out of him. Those were some of the best times I could recall with my other half.

The memory faded with the boy's shrill screams of laughter and was replaced with a new one. It was Noah's thirteenth birthday and my eighteenth. Our biological parents had always joked with us about having the same birthdays. They said we were twins but Noah was too stubborn to come out of the womb for five years. I'd stopped receiving gifts long before that and barely even cared that I'd turned another year older. That day was Noah's day to me and always would be. I couldn't celebrate the day anymore. Not even for myself a year later. Not after all that happened. I didn't even have the guts in me to acknowledge the day on a calender. I would always scribble over that little block.

Noah was opening the gift I'd worked my ass off to save up enough for him. Because he loved music, especially rock, I got him a huge stack of CD's of his favorite bands. Nickelback, Tool, Nine inch nails, Metallica, Alice in chains, Foreigner, and AC/DC. He'd inherited my love for these bands because he spent most of his time in my room and I always had these bands playing in the background. His smile was so big when he sifted through them all it was blinding. He jumped up from the dining room table and threw his arms around me. I remember thinking about how big he'd gotten. Just at thirteen he was hitting a growth spurt and was shoulder height on me. "Thank you, Al! You're the best!" Glenda and Thomas had gotten him clothing and gave each other knowing glances over the table. Glances that said 'go figure.' I made sure that Noah thanked them for their gifts later on.

I hadn't intentionally outdone them. I'd just tried to give the kid as much as I could without completely wiping out my bank account. The stack of CD's had run me about a hundred dollars but I could spare that much for him. He was worth it. Him and that huge smile. I still had the picture of me and him standing in front of the stereo in my old room. He had both arms tossed over my shoulders with that smile placed firmly on his face while I stood there looking awkward. That smile meant so much to me. It was the one he used to show me that everything would be okay. It was the only one that could shine a light on my darkest days. The list of things I wouldn't do just to have that smile back was extremely short. I would break my silence just to see it one more time even for a second. Issac's smile paled in comparison. He could never hold a flame next to Noah. Of course I loved the kid but Noah was my blood and Issac was just a baby when Noah and I were adopted.

This memory faded as well and the next one wasn't near as pleasant as the two before it and it only showed flashes at a time. A closed casket. Glenda, Thomas, and Issac all sitting stony faced as I shook and wept silently. The police asking questions that I refused to answer. Blood. So much blood. The morgue viewing window. Glenda and Thomas had refused to let me go with them at first but I'd gotten in the car before they could make a final decision. Police having to drag me from the building. More blood. This time it was my own. The institution. Staring at the blank walls. The counselors trying their damnedest to make me talk. Inquisitive stares. The looks on everyone's faces as I returned 'home'. I could never call the place by that name again once he was gone. It was too empty to ever be a home to me again.

"Al...Don't be sad. I'm okay...I promise."

'Noah...'

'Noah...'

"NOAH!"

I jerked and sat up straight, unable to place my surroundings as I looked around frantically through blurry eyes. Before me I could see that sweet face staring at me in concern. I didn't even think. I threw my arms around those tiny shoulders and pulled him close in a desperate hug.

"Whoa! Umm... Good morning to you too, Mute." My eyes snapped open and the pieces fell together in a giant wave of realization. Noah had never called me Mute. I was always Al to him. I pulled back and stared at the face before me as my vision cleared. It was Carl. I was in camp in Daryl's tent on Daryl's cot. The quilt was twisted around my legs, constricting me. I dropped my arms and stared at the ground. Right. I had been dreaming. Carl was staring at me while I shook my head and rubbed at my temples. The bright morning rays peeked through the open tent flap and Lori was crouched just outside with a look on her face that told me she'd rather Carl not be there at all. 'Damn..Way to freak her out, Mute. Like she doesn't hate me enough already..'

"Who's Noah?" Carl asked hesitantly. I took my bottom lip between my teeth and shook my head. I scooted back on the cot and released my legs from their bindings to swing them over the side. Carl sat down on the edge and continued his staring. "Hey, you're clean!" He exclaimed. "I thought those were your clothes down at the quarry." He said and I took another glance around. On Merle's cot my bag was sitting there with my clothing folded up in a small pile next to it. I looked to the kid and cocked my head. He smiled and shrugged. "When I went down there this morning I saw all of your stuff. It was all dry so I figured I'd bring them to you. I know how you don't like to be around people and some of the others are down there this morning." Damn, this kid was sweeter than sugar. He'd thought of me and did something nice even though he hadn't even known me that long.

I attempted a smile and nodded my appreciation. Then I tapped the top of my wrist to ask what time it was. Carl shrugged. "It's about noon." He said and my jaw nearly hit the floor. 'Holy crap! Way to sleep in!' I scolded myself. Usually I slept for a solid eight hours on a good day. No wonder I felt so fucking sore. I guessed my slumber had lasted about twelve or more. My body ached and groaned with every movement and my head pounded. I was still sore over the near miss with Frank. Especially smacking my head on that damn log. I could only hope that I hadn't suffered a minor concussion. I rubbed at the goose egg on the back of my skull and flinched.

"You okay?" Carl asked with an innocent tilt of his head. I waved off his concern and nodded. 'Yeah. Just fucking peachy.' I tossed another look at Lori. Yeah. She really didn't want to be there any more than I wanted her there. I stifled a yawn briefly missing coffee and made a shooing motion to Carl trying to get across that he didn't have to stick around. He looked to his mother and was silent for a second before he nodded. "Alright. Well...Come out and join us soon okay?" He asked. I wasn't so sure what appeal my company held to the kid but I nodded anyways. It would be good for me to soak up some sun and breath in fresh air for a while. The moldy tent with subtle hints of urine within it's fibers wasn't very kind on the nostrils.

Carl bounced to his feet and waved before disappearing from the tent. Lori wasn't too far behind and I was left alone again. I shuddered and slumped slightly, burying my face in my hands. I hated dreaming about Noah. It always left me in the same state. Shaken up and lost. I reached for my notebook at my feet and flipped the front cover open. Below my name and old phone number was a long line of tally marks. There were a total of sixty three marks and once my pen was firmly in my hand and I was able to write without shaking too much I added another tally. Then I dropped the notebook onto the ground again and slid both it and my pen under the cot.

With my arms cross over my lap and my shoulders hunched I looked around at the tent again. Daryl and the others hadn't come back yet. They'd spent the night in the city. It didn't help my fear of any more death in the least bit. What if they ran into trouble on the way there or back? What if they'd become surrounded by walkers and been outnumbered? What if- 'No.' I shook my head. 'Stop thinking so much and just keep going. They're fine. Daryl said they'd be okay.' It was funny how willing I was to trust him on the stupidest things but I wouldn't go within five feet of him.

I rested a hand on the quilt bundled up beside me, my thumb stroking the slightly coarse material. I wanted to go outside but I was also afraid of Shane being out there. I ran my fingers through my messy hair and sighed. I couldn't stay in the tent all day just because I was afraid of rifle boy. I had more guts than that didn't I? 'Yes.' ...'No?'..."Fucking shitballs..." I grumbled and stood up. As I stretched I could feel every single muscle in my body groan and creak as I tried to get the blood flowing to all the right places. I had to stand still for a moment after a short spell of lightheadedness but it was no time before I was shoving all of my folded clothes into my bag and placing that under Daryl's cot as well.

I shielded my eyes from the sun's blinding afternoon rays as I emerged from the tent at long last. Everyone was up and about looking pretty happy as I found Carl and sat down next to him. The rest of the campers were at least five or more feet away so I was comfortable enough to do this much at least.

"How'd ya sleep?" Carl asked as I looked around. Lori was on his other side throwing me a few glances every now and again as she chatted with the woman with the short hair. The same one who I'd come to know as the one associated with the obese man that Shane butchered with his fists of fury. On my right was the slender black woman I'd seen once or twice since my arrival and the latino man who'd wielded a bat when I first saw him. Everyone seemed to be having a good day despite the fact that no one had returned from Atlanta. They all must have been good at hiding their worry.

I shrugged and finally my eyes landed on Shane sitting a good bit away. My reaction was instant. I dropped my gaze and clasped my hands together in order to keep them from shaking too much. So what if he'd apologized? He'd invaded my space and not only that he'd grabbed me. The space invasion I could have let go. I could have forgiven him for that but touching me? That was a whole different story and he'd have to do a whole lot more than apologize for me to forgive him for that. Besides, what the fuck had he been doing at the quarry so late anyways? Had he been watching me? I shuddered at the thought. 'I hope you're just a violent prick and not a pervert to boot.'

"Ya okay?" Carl mumbled next to me and when I looked he was staring at my hands. I was clenching them so tightly that my knuckles were turning white. I nibbled on my lip and loosened my grip with a small nod. 'Yeah. I will be as soon as I stop having anxiety attacks over every little fuckin thing.' I was tired of my fear of people. It had always been more of a curse than anyone could understand. Really. Could you imagine being so terrified of others that even someone looking at you for too long sent you into panic mode? It was fucking terrible.

I glanced down at my feet and saw a pack of cigarettes laying forgotten. I frowned at it and remembered the guy who'd called me a freak smoking the same brand. He must have forgotten them. I picked the pack up and flipped the top open to see half a pack with a mini orange Bic settled inside comfortably. Oh, how I wanted one. I'd never been much of a smoker but I took up the habit when I was eighteen. I wasn't bad with it. Maybe one cigarette a day if I was in need of some serious tobacco relaxation like I was now. I couldn't help it. I fished one of the cancer sticks out of the pack and lit it.

Lori frowned and looked to the woman she was talking to. "Carol? Aren't those Ed's cigarettes?" She asked. Wow. Not only had I just gotten a nice long drag of euphoria but I also got two names out it? Talk about a score. Carol glanced over and frowned as well. "Yeah. That's weird. He never leaves them laying around." She didn't seem to care that I just stolen one from her husband. More confused that I'd found them if anything. She shrugged. "He must have forgotten them when he came to bed last night. Leave it to my husband. He'd lose his head if it wasn't attached." Which reminded me. I hadn't seen Ed when I'd come back into camp. He'd been gone when I'd raced back to the tent. I brushed it off as nothing more than coincidence. He might have just woken up when Shane had been walking around.

I took one more drag and put it out on the bottom of my shoe and stuck it back in the pack. I wouldn't feel right about smoking a whole one even if the guy was an asshole. Then I placed the pack back on the ground where I'd found them so Ed could pick them up the next time he made an appearance.

"Ohhhhh baby! Would you look at that!" I glanced up as the latino spoke from behind me and saw the two blondes walking up with two large loads of fish in their hands. As they approached I slid the milk crate I sat on slightly to the left to put some more space between me and everyone else.

"Check it out!" The Latino laughed merrily and clapped his hands and the older of the two women handed him some of the fish which he stared at in awe. "Ladies! Because of you my children will eat tonight. Thank you!" He exclaimed as everyone made noises of approval. The woman shook her head. "Thank Dale. It's his canoeing gear." She said while the younger blonde did a small victory shimmy and took a drink out of a light blue water bottle. I eyed it and tried not to smile. 'Whatever's in that bottle that's making her so happy I wouldn't mind having a bit of.' I thought. I still wasn't quite over my dream.

I watched as the older blonde high fived the black woman and Carl stood up to admire their load. "Look at all the fish!" He exclaimed as the latino dangled the dead creatures in front of Lori's face who pushed them away with a laugh. Everyone was so happy. It was just a small reminder that even during the end of the world people could still find happiness in the simple things in life. It was a nice moment to watch all of them get excited over something positive for the first time since I'd arrived.

"Woaaaah..!" Carl looked entranced. Lori smiled broadly. "Yeah, Woah. Where did you two learn to do that?" She asked. The younger blonde was all grins. "Our dad." She announced proudly. I glanced at the ground. 'Yay for happy families.' I thought and it left a slightly bitter aftertaste. I think the only thing my dads had ever taught me was how to cope with disappointment.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl bounced on the balls of his feet. I could see his fingers twitching as if he wanted to reach out and touch the fish just to make sure they were real. The younger blonde nodded. "Sure. I can teach you all about nail knots and stuff." She and her sister exchanged a few funny faces and I took into observation just how close they were. It was plain as day that they loved one another very much. It was nice to watch two siblings like that. The last time I'd seen two family members so happy to be around one another I'd been watching cartoons with Noah and Isaac.

The younger girl glanced to Lori. "If that's okay." But Lori shook her head. "You won't catch me arguing." She said. I looked to her and then back down to my hands. 'If I offered to teach Carl anything she'd probably kick my ass.' I thought bitterly. But I didn't linger on the thought for two long as Dale wandered up at a leisurely pace. I took the second to glance at Shane. His eyes were like needles piercing my skull and for a moment I was taken by surprise. 'Uh..Okay creeper..' I stared him down for a minute. His eyes were practically screaming at me 'Ya forgive me yet?' and I was sure mine were screaming back 'NO!' It was a damn good thing for him that I wasn't inclined to speak or else he'd be getting an earful from me.

"Hey, Dale! When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." The older blonde called to the man as the Latino held the fish up for his inspection. Dale was lost to the question though and he shook his head. "Hey..Uh.." I could feel the mood turn to shit within seconds as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't mean to alarm anyone but we may have a bit of a problem." He turned and pointed to a figure a ways off. Jim. He was still digging.

'Uh oh..Cue the dramatic music..' I wasn't going to make matters any worse by informing anyone that he'd been up there all night. In fact, while everyone else wandered off with Dale to go see what was up I stayed behind and went back to the tent. It wasn't any of my business what was going on with the man so I wasn't sticking my nose in it like everyone else seemed more than happy to do. So what if he wanted to dig for hours on end? Was it considered sane to others? No. But neither was a lot of things I did. Maybe he was just finding something to occupy his time with. That didn't sound like too bad of an idea and as soon as I entered the tent I did the same thing. I dug out my trusty notebook and started jotting down a few things.

_**Ed Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>-Got the shit beat out of him by Shane.<em>  
><em>-Hit his wife.<em>  
><em>-Called me a freak.<em>  
><em>-Doesn't like Rifle boy.<em> _(Join the club.)_  
><em>(ten foot rule.)<em>

_**Carol:**_  
><em>-Ed's wife.<em>  
><em>-Keeps to herself.<em>  
><em>-Seems nice.<em>  
><em>-Typical obedient woman.<em>  
><em>(Seven foot rule.)<em>

After that just sitting around waiting for Daryl and the others to come back didn't sound appealing to me. So it didn't take long for me to find something to busy myself with to take my mind off of the majority of things going wrong in the world. It was the smell that got to me first. The nasty scent of sweat and redneck had me just about climbing the walls of the tent as I stared at the pile of dirty clothes for ten minutes. I'd suffered through it all night and I'd had enough. Since Daryl wasn't willing to wash the shit I might as well. There wasn't anything else to do.

While the rest of camp was distracted with Jim and his new hobby I scooped up the heap and carried it down to the quarry. Thankfully there wasn't a soul in sight and I was able to work in peace. Piece by piece I dunked and scrubbed. It became a never ending cycle of dunk, scrub, rinse, and repeat. Luckily there wasn't any blood so it was an easier task than mine had been. Of course my clothes hadn't smelled nearly as bad. I had the guts to sniff a larger shirt. It didn't look like it belonged to Daryl. It was too big to fit his frame. I'd stared at it for a few seconds trying to make out some of the stains. 'Holy fuck. Don't those two ever clean up a little?' I'd thought as I lifted the material to my nose.

"Dear...Fucking god!" I'd dropped it into the water and smothered the urge to vomit. There were very few things that I could compare that particular stench to. Even dead animals would be more pleasant. I couldn't imagine the type of person Merle must be to be able to handle walking around smelling like that. Did he have no sense of smell? Or were rednecks just less inclined to care about personal hygiene?

My task took me quite a while. Possibly an hour to finish and then I wrung all of the clothing out and set them all out to dry. It was about that time that a few of the campers came down to the quarry and I had to scoop up the wet clothes and head back to the tent. It was much harder to do with the soaked materials that weighed a ton and towered in a pile that reached over my head. I tried to watch where I was going by keeping the load slightly to my right side as I peeked my head around it. I almost dropped it all though when a familiar pair of boots popped into my line of sight.

"Woah!" Shane exclaimed as I stumbled and quickly righted myself. The pile threatened to tumble out of my arms but I leaned back just in time to make sure nothing fell. 'Mother fucker!' I clenched my jaw and swallowed the urge to kick the bastard in the shin. He had to have seen me coming so why couldn't he just move to the side and let me pass?

"Oh. It's you. What's the rush?" Shane peeked around the tower of clothes and arched an eyebrow at me. It was then that I noticed Carl beside him. Well at least I could be assured that rattler wouldn't try anything with a witness present. 'Or would he?' I took a few paces backwards and Shane settled his hands on his hips with a sigh. I think he was beginning to get the point that I wanted nothing to do with him. Not in this life and not in the next.

"Gonna at least join us for dinner?" Shane asked. 'If you're going to be there I'd rather dine with Satan.' I glanced to the tent. It was about four yards away and I shifted the weight in my arms. 'So close yet so far away..' I just wanted to put the fucking clothes down. It felt like my arms were going to fall off at any moment. Carl piped up, excited. "Of course she is! And she's gonna sit right next to me!" He stared up at Shane with a big toothy grin and the man ruffled his hair before tossing a glance to me. "Is that right?"He asked.

I should have said no. I wanted to say no. But there was no way in hell I could refuse Carl. He was just too cute and damn it all if I didn't have a weak spot for him. I nibbled on my bottom lip. What could it hurt? It was just eating and if everyone kept their space from me I'd be fine right? 'God damn shitballs...Fuck..' I nodded. Carl lit up. "See?" And Shane nodded with a chuckle. "Alright. We'll see ya then. Ya want some help there?" He tilted his head and eyed my load. If anyone else would have offered I might have considered it but I was shaking my head before he could even finish his question. 'No. No. Go the fuck away. No. No.'

As the two walked off I glared at Shane's back. 'Yeah. You go right on ahead thinking everything's fine. Asshole..' I gritted my teeth and Carl glanced over his shoulder. I quickly smiled and he waved. I kept smiling until he turned around again and I went back to glaring at rifle boy until I couldn't see him anymore. Then I darted into the tent and dropped the clothing onto Merle's cot just before my arms gave out.

I was still folding laundry by the time the sun went down. Most of the clothes were still wet while I was putting them back in their corner but it didn't matter any. With the tent flap open and the clothing now a bit cleaner than before the smell wasn't as bad. As long as I didn't stand too close to Merle's cot I could bear to sit comfortably in the place without having to inhale the significant smell of dirty man.

Once I'd finished up and taken my notebook out Carl popped his head in. "C'mon, Mute. It's time to eat." He announced. I looked down at the worn book in my lap and sighed with a nod before setting it aside and getting up. Carl held the flap open a little more for me as I stepped out. I could already tell he was going to be one hell of a southern gentleman when he grew up. He'd have to beat the girls off with a stick.

It had gotten dark out really fast and the only light was from the fire and everyone sat around it passing around pans full of fish. I shifted uncomfortably as I came within ten feet and eyed everyone sitting so close together. I looked at Carl with an unsure expression but he shook his head. "Oh, C'mon!" He exclaimed and took my hand and dragged me over to a spot between him and another small boy. Next to the kid was the Latino man and a woman that I assumed was his wife.

A few of the others looked up as I passed by, skirting the group hesitantly before I took a seat on a crate. For extra space I scooted back a little ways. "Well Lookit that! She emerges from the tent at last!" Jim chuckled as Carl passed me a fork with a piece of fish stuck to the end. I kept my head down as I took it and tried to ignore the stares that fell on me as I nibbled at it. I never had been a big fan of fish. My adoptive father used to pick on me all the time for it but my stomach was growling like an angry beast and I wasn't going to be picky. Food was food and from what I heard fish had a lot of nutrients in it.

"We were starting to think you didn't like us." The younger of the two blondes raised her eyebrows at me. 'Well so far I haven't been given a reason to like any of you.' Except for Carl and Daryl to this point no one had even seemed to care that I existed. Which I was perfectly fine with. I continued to eat quietly while her sister nudged her. "I'm sure she's just shy." She smiled to me with a wink and I supressed the need to scowl. Shy? She was kidding right? That was like saying walkers were just in need of a little love. Completely and utterly untrue. To be shy I would have to want to interact with people but just be too bashful to approach them. I just didn't like people. I didn't want to approach people. Plain and simple.

I could just barely hear Lori mumble under her breath "yeah. I'm sure that's all it is.." With a slight roll of her eyes. 'Wow. Way to make me not want to come around, bitch.' I shoved the rest of the piece of fish in my mouth to keep unkind words from spilling out into the open. Carl scrunched up his nose at me. "Hungry?" He questioned. I looked away for a second and then nodded quickly. He took my fork from me and stabbed it into another piece and handed it back. I tried to smile but my mouth was too full and a few people laughed as bits of fish fell out. 'Oops.' I quickly put a hand over my mouth and swallowed.

As a pan was passed over me the Latino pointed at Dale who sat staring off into the distance. "I gotta ask you, man." He shook his head and leaned forward. "It's been driving me crazy." I was just glad to have the attention veered away from the resident weirdo and nibbled on my food as Dale snapped out of whatever trance he was in to chuckle. "What?" I noticed he had the classic 'grandpa smile'. The kind of grins and tilted lips of a trusted grandparent that could do no wrong. I could almost see my own grandpa in him. Sure, Dale was nowhere near as tough as Roger had been but he was comforting to look at if that made any sense at all.

The latino man pointed again. This time at the device on Dale's wrist. "That watch." I frowned in confusion behind my piece of fish and looked between the two men exchanging pleasant conversation. Dale looked at his wrist and rubbed the accesory in question affectionately. "What's wrong with my watch?" He asked. I was hoping someone would get to the point soon. I didn't like being confused. Especially over something so simple as a damn watch.

"I see you everyday. Same time. Winding that thing like a village priest saying mass." The Latino chuckled. The woman next to him nodded and the black woman played with her fork. "I've wondered this myself." She had a pretty smile and kind eyes. Of the little I'd seen of her I could see she was the type of woman who'd been caring to most in her life before the outbreak. Possibly the type of woman to give money to those begging on the streets even after a long frustrating day at work. I wondered if she had a husband or children before all of this.

Dale chuckled again and looked around at everyone. "I'm missing the point." He said. 'That makes two of us.' I thought as I finished my fish and before I could even blink, Carl handed me another. 'A conversation about a watch? These people must not have lived very exciting lives.' I patted Carl's head in thanks as the black woman spoke again. "Unless I've misread the signs the world seems to have come to an end." She smiled again. "Or at least hit a speed bump for a while." I was getting full. Usually I could have eaten three times as much as anyone else but having gone so long without proper nourishment my stomach shrank to the size of a pea. I took two bites of the third piece and then offered it to Carl.

"Don't you want it?" He asked. I shook my head and placed a hand on my stomach. He shrugged and took it from me. "More for me." He grinned and shoved it in his mouth, mimicking my earlier actions and I giggled.

The Latino pointed to Dale with his fork again. "But there's you. Every day. Winding that stupid watch" He chuckled. Dale shrugged. "Time. It's important to keep track isn't it? The days at least.." I disagreed. Time was created by man to keep track of how long until his demise. Since most people were either dead or undead nowadays I couldn't see the use in keeping track anymore. There wasn't really a point. Watching time tick away wasn't going to rebuild society.

They continued their conversation but I was lost to it all. I stood up as a certain need presented itself and though I got a curious look from Carl and a couple others I waved and headed off to the quarry. It was a nice night just like the last one and I didn't want to waste it by listening to a conversation about watches and time. I'd grown quite fond of the body of water and it seemed like the prime opportunity to sit by the shore and just think for a little bit without interruption. Everyone would probably be sitting by the fire soaking up one anothers company for some time to come so I had all the time in the world to let my mind wander.

The moon lit my way, illuminating various stones and upraised roots that I might have tripped over in the dark. It was a good thing too because I'd never been known for my grace. I wasn't exactly clumsy but I'd tripped over my own feet more times in my life than I'd be comfortable with admitting publicly.

Walking that path I tried to imagine what I'd be doing if the world hadn't ended. I'd probably be in my room drowning everything out with insanely loud music. Maybe I would have joined the family for dinner and played video games with Isaac afterward. Maybe I would have gone for a walk. There were so many maybes. I'd figured before the zombies took over that maybe I would get a small apartment in a shithole neighborhood and live the rest of my life like I wanted to. Avoiding everyone and maintaining my job as an overnight stock-girl until I was too old to do it anymore. Now I had no idea what the future could be like. I could very well die in the next day or the next week. Nothing was predictable anymore and it scared me. I'd always figured life was a one way road. That everything was predetermined. Now I couldn't believe that anymore than I could believe that the world would go back to normal. If only life could be like the path down to the quarry. One way with only slight bends and turns on the way.

About halfway to my destination I began getting the creepy feeling that I was being watched. The one that makes the small hairs on the back of your neck stand up. My eyebrows furrowed together and I took a glance around, stopping. Had someone maybe followed me out here? I listened for any signs of another person. There was nothing. I made to continue on my way but there came a rustling from the bushes off to my right. I instantly moved as far left on the path as possible without falling off the edge.

My first instinct was to go see what was making the noise. Then my brain kicked in. 'No. Bad Mute. Apply your knowledge of horror films. People who go see what's in the bushes die and I'm not asking 'who's there' either.' I scowled and scanned the area but all I could hear was something in the bushes slowly making it's way towards me.

Screaming filled the air, startling me. They were coming from camp and just as this information registered, whatever was rustling around in the bushes finally stumbled out into the open. I gaped, frozen in fear. 'No. This isn't happening. Nuh uh. I can wake up now...' It shuffled forward, it's glassy gaze fixated on me as it groaned and fluids dripped from it's gaping hole of a mouth. I could see excitement glinting within those rotting eye sockets as it began towards me. I could almost hear a dinner bell ringing somewhere in the distance. "Aww...Shit..Fucking..Balls.." I began to shake and my foot slid backwards out of reflex. Bad move.

"FUCK!" I shouted and my arms shot out in front of me as I lost my balance. I reached for something. Anything as I went over the ledge, my hands grasping at thin air as I fell. How high up was I? I couldn't remember. Where would I land? Was I going to die? 'Just as long as I stay dead.' I clenched my eyes shut as the wind in my ears deafened me. 'Please just let me stay dead. Please.'

...

**Chapter seven is on the way! How is Daryl going to react to the walkers attacking camp and what happened to Mute? You'll just have to read and find out! Much love! Until next time, y'all! **

-MeRci.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary:** Let me begin by saying I'M SOOOOOO SORRYYYYYY for the delayed update. I know usually I update pretty often on this fic but I've been super busy with life! This lazy writer has been trying to get a job because writing on this site, though it may be enjoyable, doesn't pay! XD ANYWHOOOOO here's the next chapter at long last! Daryl's back from Atlanta and he's not too happy that his mime has gone MIA during the walker attack! Mute gets stuck in an interesting situation and we get to look at a side of Al we haven't seen yet! =D Hope ya'll like it!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to TWD or any of it's characters yada yada fucking yada...

**Credits**: WOW! So far chapter six has gotten the most reviews yet! I'm so proud to be writing this for all of you guys! I love you allllllll!

-ChildlikeEmpress: Yes, a cliffhanger. I had to do it just for funsies. =D You must have the patience of a saint to wait so long for this chapter!

-Pin-Chan2: Pure genius? I don't know about all of that but the compliment gave me an ego boost like you wouldn't believe! I'm so glad you get excited when I post a chapter because, to be completely honest, so do I! Because I know I'll get to read awesome reviews like yours and everyone elses! Thank you SO much!

-dragoness0420: It's all good. You still support my fic and that's enough for me! Believe me I know all about how unpleasant it is to write anything so late at night (Or early morning depending on perspective) I posted this at almost four in the morning! XD

-Lucy Freebird: Awwww! Thankssss! By the way every time I see your name I think of Lynyrd Skynrd's Freebird! (One of my all time favorite songs).

-MyMissingHalo: Oh, wow! Glad we could help! Isn't that right, Eris? (I'm sure she agrees when I say you rock!) Thank you for your awesome waffling. I look forward to it on this chapter! Much looove!

-Eris: Please don't hurt me. Though...I might like that XD Love ya and thanks for all of your support. I'm glad you've stuck with me this whole way. I'd be lost without ya! =D

-Aussiegirl411: I'm honored to know you're reading my fanfiction in a bathroom. I had no idea you loved it so much! Needless to say I am flattered. I really hope you like this chapter. I know I'm mean for tossing out a cliffhanger like that but I'm sure it was worth it!

-Marc: Of COURSE I'm going to reply! I am morally obligated to do so. When you and the others review my story it's the least I can do to at least express my eternal gratitude! Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Playlist choice:** Freak on a leash- Korn.

**NOW ON TO CHAPTER 7! =D**

...

Daryl POV:

How in the hell my day could go from bad to worse in a matter of minutes was fuckin crazy. Goin after the fuckin guns turned out to be a goddamn time waster an' we ended up losin' half of 'em by the end of the fuckin day and then when I finally think I can relax a little fuckin bit and just get back to camp we found the fuckin van stolen! Fuckin' fuck!

Walkin back to camp hadn't made my mood any better either. Especially knowin that it was Merle who took the goddamn only mode of transportation. I was seriously hopin he wouldn't go overboard when he got back to camp. If that was even where he was goin'. I couldn't know fer sure. That man was more unpredictable than a fuckin tornado an' twice as destructive.

On top of all that I had a fuckin' chink complainin the whole way back like a lil bitch. Like a little bit of a run would kill him. At least he'd gotten a decent amount of sleep. I know he did because I'd listened to his yellow ass snorin' half the fuckin' night. I hadn't gotten no sleep at all. How the fuck could I when all I could think 'bout was my brother out possibly dyin in the city. At least I knew now that he wadn't dead. If he had enough energy to steal a car then he sure as shit wasn't gonna be dyin any time soon. He wasn't givin' either of us Dixon boys popularity points though. Rick looked pissed. Couldn't say I blamed him. Fer the first time since Merle got left behind I wanted to give that man a punch in the damn face fer makin me run all the way back to camp. It wasn't a short trip by any fuckin' means.

"Could we PLEASE take a short breather?" Glenn gasped holdin' his side. He looked about ready to collapse and we'd only been joggin' fer a good twenty minutes. Hadn't he never played soccer like the rest of the yellow freaks in Japan or China or wherever the fuck he came from? Oh, right. He said he was Korean. Like tha' mattered any. Yella's Yella no matter how much white ya mix into it. I snorted and shook my head. "Quit yer bitchin!" I huffed at him.

T-dog slowed his pace and held up his hand. "No. He's right. I need a minute.." He stopped and set down the box of Dale's tools. "Just a minute.." He settled his hands on his knees and I groaned as Rick and Glenn stopped too. "Oh, c'mon people. How the fuck are ya still alive if ya cain't even run a lil?" Really. How the fuck did these people survive the end of the world? That Darwin guy obviously had no idea what the fuck he'd been talkin bout 'cus these guys were not the most fit to survive anythin'. I was almost ashamed to even be grouped in with 'em.

"Not everyone lived active lifestyles before all this." Rick motioned to our surroundings and I rolled my eyes. "Obviously.." People'd gotten to be too lazy. Too complacent. That was one good thing 'bout growin' up havin' to fend fer yerself. Ya don't have the chance to get lazy. Me and Merle were always out doin' somethin' or another just to earn some fuckin' cash every now and then. We din't have the time to sit around an' get fat like ninety two percent of Americans did. Anyone workin' a nine to five job din't do much more than work an' sleep. Plus, more often then not Merle and I were puttin' food on our own god damn table. Huntin' was what us Dixon boys did best an' ya can't be lazy an' track a buck. It just ain't possible an' anyone who says it is ain't a real hunter. Their a 'leisure hunter' that only goes out when deer are in season. Fuck seasons and fuck anyone who tried to tell me or Merle that we couldn't have venison whenever we fuckin' got the fancy.

Glenn wheezed away as seconds ticked on by like we had the time to waste. The sun was goin' down too fuckin' fast for my taste an' we weren't close enough to camp tuh be restin' yet. I stood by as patiently as I could while the nigger an' the chink got ready for round two and I hoped to fuckin' god that they weren't plannin' on takin' another breather any time soon. I didn't know how much thinner my patience could be worn. It was already dangling on the brink and these fuckers din't wanna see me pissed. When I'd foun' out Merle had been left on the roof I was 'mildly irrate'. Pissed was a whole 'nother level on the Dixon scale.

After five minutes I was tappin' my foot. "Can we fuckin' go now?" I exclaimed. The chink stood up straight an' looked to everyone else. "I'm good." He announced. T-dog was still breathin' a lil heavy but he nodded and we were off again. I had to slow my pace to keep up with the rest of 'em but I tried not to linger on that an' focused on that fact that at least we were movin' again. 'I'll be back tuh keep the rest of 'em at bay 'for ya know it.' I'd told Mute. I didn't like bein' made a liar of. I mighta been a lot o' things in my day but a liar was no one of 'em.

The sun had gone completely down by the time we got close to camp. T-dog had tried fer 'nother breathin' break a few seconds earlier and I'd told him as politely as possible tha' if he wanted to rest so bad I could jus' put a bolt 'tween his eyes an he could rest all he wanted. Needless to say he'd shut the fuck up and kept runnin'. If there was one thing I could pride 'bout myself it was my persuasion skills. Of course no one needed any kind of persuasion to kick the pace up a helluva lot more when we heard screamin' an' gunshots comin' from camp.

We all stopped as we heard the commotion. Chests heavin' an' hearts poundin', Rick stared. "Oh..My god.." and Glenn shouted. "GO!" There wasn't much more to it than that. We all took off like a bunch of Mexicans headin' for the border. I couldn't believe it. The fuckin' world jus' wasn't givin any breaks today was it? I tried not to think 'bout what could be goin on too much. I din't wanna jump to conclusions but I had a really bad feelin' that we were 'bout to be usin' the guns we'd just gotten. As we came upon the campsite Rick tossed me a shotgun and not a momen' too soon neither 'cus just as we rounded the corner I had fuckin' walker in my face.

'BOOM!' Gunshots exploded everywhere and within seconds the place was nothin' but chaos. The camp was full of walkers. Not one or two but a fuckin' dozen or more. I took out two within the first couple of seconds. People were runnin' everywhere screamin' at the top of their lungs while the men went 'round with their respective weapons and did what they could. In all of the shit, I din't see Mute. Not so much as a blur of her runnin'. I smashed the butt end of the gun into a walkers head and crushed it's skull before lookin' round. There was no sign of her. "Shit..Mute!" I shouted. There was no answer.

I scrambled to my feet jus' as 'nother walker launched itself at me, mouth gapin', hungry for it's next meal. It sure as fuck wasn't gunna be me. I cocked the shotgun back and with a grunt I slammed the butt end against it's open mouth, turned the gun around while it took the second to recover and blew it's fuckin' brains out. I din't even take the time to revel in my awesome pro-status kill. Instead I took care of two more walkers and made my way 'round camp as the scene quieted. There was still no sight of my fuckin' Mime. Where the hell could she have run off to?

With the undead all dispatched back to hell it was easier for me to look for her. 'Or what's left of her..' I shook my head of those thoughts as I stormed around. "Al!" No answer. "Goddamnit, Mute!" I shouted for her again but she din't come runnin'. Damn, and I'd thought she was an obedient lil stray. For her not to answer she had to be..'Easy, Daryl. Don' go jumpin' to conclusions. She's pro'lly jus' hidin.' I jogged back to my tent and checked inside. Nothin. "Dammit...Mute!"

The black chick called to me and I whirled around. "What?" I yelled, my face hot. She pointed. "S-She went that way last time I saw her!" I followed her finger and cursed under my breath. "Shit.." She really had the balls to run off on her own? The fuck had I told her 'fore I left? 'Don' go nowhere alone.' I vaguely remembered something along those lines. I didn't think. I took off towards the quarry. from behind me I heard Rick shout. "Don't let him go alone!" and I looked over my shoulder to see the nigger and the chink trailin' me. Yeah, like I needed MY back watched. If anythin' it shoulda been the other way 'round. I din't feel any safer seein' the way the chink was holdin' his gun like it was a grenade an' he was scared to drop it.

I hauled ass down to the quarry, leapin over small rocks an' logs and even hoppin' off the lower ledge fer a shortcut. I still din't see Mute nowhere. How far could she have gone? "AL!" I shouted, shotgun at the ready in case any walker's had made it down this far. I was really hopin none of 'em had but with the shitty luck I'd been havin' for the past couple days I wasn't makin' any bets.

The water was quiet and still and as Glenn and T-dog jogged up to flank me I couldn't hear nothin. I scanned the surrounding area through narrowed eyes tryin' ta catch sight of any clues to Mute's whereabouts in the dark. As I headed off to the right I could hear somethin' movin' round. I glanced over my shoulder to my company and jerked my thumb in the direction of the noise. Couldn't really make out what it was but I wasn't gunna go waltzin' over without a bit of caution. I went along slowly, gaining a foot every ten seconds till I could make out a figure.

Hunched over, whoever it was was placed next to a rather large boulder. I stopped and listened, now able to hear something else. It sounded like growlin'. I frowned and picked up the sickeningly familiar hint of bones crunchin'. Chewin. I took a leaf outta Mute's book and gave the figure a fifteen foot berth, edgin' round the perimeter of the space with my gun at the ready.

My breath hitched in my throat as I came around 'nough to see that the thing was crouched over a person. I could only see a leg. A jean clad leg covered in blood an' twitchin. 'Al...!'

"BOOM!" Right to the back of the head I took the walker out without 'nother second of hesitation. It dropped to the side, dead, and I hurried over. In less than three seconds I was roundin' the boulder's edge and starin' down into the dark tryin' to see if my mime was dead. I kicked the walker outta my way and crouched down beside the girl sprawled out on the ground. "Al!" I hissed and grabbed her by the shoulders. I hoisted her up into a sitting position, the moonlight illuminatin' her face.

"Shit!" I hissed and dropped her lifeless form. Glenn came pokin' his head 'round, his eyes wide and scared. "Did you find her?" He asked hesitantly. I rested my elbow on my knee and sighed. The girl's face was a mutilated mess. Her left cheek had been torn out completely and her eye sockets were empty but even from the little I could make out I knew. I just fuckin' knew.

"Nah. It ain't her.." I shook my head and took 'nother look 'round before shootin the girl in the head to make sure she din't get up again. I din't know her. She was just 'nother nameless face from camp that I'd never taken a chance to get to know. Now she was dead. I wondered if'n anybody else knew her. I couldn't remember ever seein' her talkin' to nobody. 'Oh, well.' I continued on while Glenn and T-dog hung back, exchangin' a few words 'bout the dead girl. I was too busy to give a fuck 'bout 'nother dead bitch.

"Mute...!" I called my mime again. No answer. Fuck. I turned 'round 'bout to head back in the other direction. Maybe she'd run off over there an' I was just wastin' time. I made it three steps when I heard a small whimper and the crunch of sand. A shift? My eyebrows furrowed an' I turned back 'round. "Mute?" I called, hopefully. The whimper came again. 'If'n she ain't answerin me 'cus o' her fuckin' no talkin' rule I'ma kick her ass..' I thought to myself bitterly. She'd answer me to get help, right? If not she couldn't be as smart as I'd pegged her.

The whimper came again and I pinpointed the location. It was off in the bushes a yard or two to my left. I glanced over but the chink and the nigg were too bust mournin' the dead to even notice that I was wanderin' off. I rolled my eyes. 'Fuck 'em.' I din't need those two guardin' my damn back anyhow. I raised my shotgun an' rested it against my shoulder at the ready as I approached. "Mu-te...?" I stopped, clearin' my throat after my voice cracked thanks to shoutin' so fuckin' much an' tried again. "Mute." That definitely sounded more manly. The bushes rustled.

There was a small flash of pale skin within the leafy cluster and I let out the breath I'd been holdin' since I'd dropped the dead bitch. "Dammit, Al..." I grumbled and crouched down with a grunt. My back wasn't appreciatin' my abuse too much. Not after sittin' on that fuckin' roof all night, chasin Mexicans, and runnin' back to camp. I set the shotgun down at my side an' leaned forward to part a few of the heavy, thick branches. I cut myself on a few of the sharper ones before I fin'ly had a nice sized gap in the leaves, exposin' my lil mime tangled up inside.

She looked a fuckin' mess. With her hair caught up in the sticks surroundin' her she looked wild, her eyes wide and searchin' for some way out. How the fuck she even got in there was a mystery to me. I couldn't imagine how hard she'd had to have thrown herself in to get so deep. She was wearin' a dress. Not exactly somethin' I'd expect to see someone wearin' in a zombie infested apocalypse but then again Mute wasn't all that normal so I could dismiss that. It too was caught up, tangled, an' torn. In an odd way the look suited her an' if the situation wasn't so stressful I mighta laughed.

She whimpered again an' I shook my head. "How the fuck did ya even get yer ass in there?" I grumbled and extended a hand to her. Her big, dark eyes shot down to stare at it an' I could see the indecision warrin' within her. She still din't trust me enough to touch me. But she din't have much choice unless she wanted to stay in those bushes all night. 'C'mon, Al. Jus' let me help ya dammit..' She looked downright terrified. What all had she seen? Had she watched the other girl die? What'd happened when the walkers came? I couldn't see her tellin' me anytime soon if at all.

For a few seconds she sat there starin' at my hand like it was an animal poised to attack. I gave her time to debate. In the little time I'd known her I'd figured out a few very importan' things 'bout Allison Grey. She wasn't talkative. She din't wanna get close to nobody. Her notebook was her best friend, and above all she took her time with most things. Anyone close to her before musta had the patience of saints which is why I could understand her bein' a loner. Most people, before the world ended, barely had the patience to microwave dinner for more than thirty seconds.

"You're not dead..." Her voice was low and meek an' the statement was barely audible. For a second I thought I only imagined it but as she stared at me with that thousand yard gaze I could see that I hadn't. I had to smother a smile by hangin' my head. "I fuckin' told ya I'd be okay." I tried not to sound like it was a big deal but I was sorta proud that I had the honor of bein' the only person she talked to. Even if it wasn't all that often. Still more than she did everyone else. I glanced back to her an' put my poker face back on. "Now ya comin' out or what?" I was gettin' tired an' after all the shit we'd been through back in Atlanta I was lookin' forward to gettin' back to my tent an' sleepin'. Hopefully soon.

It was with the timidness comparable to a mouse that she jerked her arm free of a branch and slowly extended her tiny hand towards my own which I noticed was much larger than hers. Much MUCH larger. Mine engulfed her hand entirely as I closed aroun' it an' moved back a lil to pull her out. I saw her flinch as I gave a sharp tug but ignored it. Pro'lly just a branch snaggin' on her dress or somethin. A few more tugs an' she came tumblin' out in a flurry of tattered dress an' mussed hair. 'Bout fuckin' time.'

It was then that Glenn an' T-dog wandered over to see what was goin' on. Mute lifted her head, saw the two, an' I watched her eyes flicker back to the bushes. "Oh, no ya don't." I shook my head an' blocked the way. Now that she was out in the open she was back to bein' the same girl as I'd left. The second she realized she wasn't gettin' back into her hidin' place she got to her feet an' shuffled away. I guessed there was maybe ten feet between the three of us an' her. 'Great...'

...

Mute POV

I wanted to go home. I wanted to go to camp. I wanted to be anywhere but there on the shore of the quarry with Glenn, Daryl, and the black guy staring at me like a freaked out animal. I shifted putting most of my weight on my left leg. When I'd fallen the right one had gotten a little banged up. Nothing too serious but enough for me to not want to walk around on it too much. My outer thigh would be bruised all to shit by morning if it wasn't already.

I'd also messed my back up pretty bad. Landing on my right side, my spine had twisted in an unpleasant manner. Then I'd played dumbass by vaulting into the bushes. I wasn't really thinking when I did that. I was running on pure adrenaline and the need to get the fuck out of dodge. That resulted in me sustaining a large gash running from my shoulder to my elbow on my right arm which I now cradled with my left. I wasn't dead but I was banged up. As my grandfather would say; 'It's just a flesh wound. Walk it off, girly.' Even when I'd accidentally shot myself in the foot when I was sixteen he'd told me to walk it off. He wasn't really the best at giving medical advice. Get me to the hospital? Psshhhhaaww. That's hilarious. He was tough but he wasn't the sharpest razor in the suicidal teenager's drawer.

Daryl picked up his shotgun which I eyed with criticism. A walnut-stock Remington 870 twelve gauge. My grandpa had taught me how to shoot with the same gun only with synthetic stock. Used for mostly sport shooting and hunting, the Remington 870 was one of the most popular shotguns ever sold to the public. With a bottom-loading, side ejecting receiver, tubular magazine under the barrel, dual action bars, internal hammer, and a bolt which locks into an extension in the barrel it wasn't much of a surprise. The 870 was a lead pumping powerhouse. Even though the earliest models held a design flaw that would bind the action causing rough handling, the newer models were perfect killing machines. Like the one Daryl carried, the modern modified guns were easily identified by a 'U-shaped' cutout on the bottom of the carrier. I'd gotten a pretty good look at it from my hiding spot in the bushes when he'd set the shotgun down. I made mental notes all around.

There wasn't much question behind why I was so wary of him and the others. Glenn had in his possession a beauty of a Mossberg 500 persuader shotgun. All firearms are deadly but the shotgun has the intimidation factor going for it. Though I wouldn't personally use such a large gun I could see the uses. But a handgun would serve the same purpose with easier ammo to carry around with it. I saved myself the grief of reviewing the damn thing and just kept my distance.

"Yer bleedin'." I denied myself the urge to roll my eyes at Daryl's obvious statement. Of course I was bleeding. I'd fallen off a ledge and made myself a temporary part of some thorny ass shrubbery. It would be abnormal if I didn't have a scratch on me. I pretended that I didn't even hear him and looked in the direction of camp with a curious expression. From the lack of screaming and gunshots I assumed that things had been resolved and it would be safe to go back. That's what I wanted. To go back to camp and hide in the tent. Standing where I was I felt so exposed.

With the others still staring at me like I'd grown wings and sprouted a beak I headed off. I just wanted to feel safe and there was only one place in walking distance that I could think off. From behind me I could hear the three men talking amongst themselves. I think Glenn asked where I was going to which Daryl replied with a polite "None yer fuckin' business." I flinched as I began up the trail. With most of my weight on one leg I must have looked like a fucking penguin waddling along. It made me think of the time Isaac damaged his ankle playing softball. For weeks he was limping around. I hoped my leg wouldn't take that long to recover. Seriously. Being injured could make me a major liability if these people decided to leave the site and camp somewhere else. The chances of that were pretty good now that the walkers were heading out further. If these people didn't move I'd have to peg them all as mentally handicapped.

With the three stooges trailing behind me I entered camp just as Dale, Rick, and Shane were discussing what to do with all of the bodies. I had a few suggestions. Burn 'em. Pile 'em up and let 'em rot? Chop 'em up into little pieces and throw them to the animals in the woods? I wandered passed like the men weren't even there. I didn't care what they did. I kept my eyes on my feet as I zigzagged through the massacre. The ground was soaked with blood and other various bodily fluids. All disgusting.

"What do ya propose we do with 'em all till morning?" Dale asked as I went by. Rick settled his hands on his hips and looked around at all the carnage. I didn't see Carl around or any of the other kids. No doubt Lori and the other parents were making sure the kids weren't too exposed to it all. I didn't see how it could damage their minds anymore. They'd been around when the invasion happened, right? They'd had to have had their fill of blood and violence since the dead started getting up and eating people.

"I don't know.." Officer Dick sounded awfully tired. I was sure that was one thing everyone had in common. "Move 'em I guess. We can't just leave 'em here." I heard Daryl snort behind me. What was he finding so funny? The thought of doing anything with the bodies at all? I could imagine him not giving two fucks and just leaving them where they lay scattered about like roaches after a homeowner set off a bug bomb.

I skirted a walker who's head had been completely blown off. All that remained was a bit of the jaw hanging off the stub of a neck. I could see the spinal chord sticking out at an angle with veins, skin, and muscles hanging around the obliterated jawline like silly string. Below it's lower half was a mess of feces and undigested flesh. I'd seen some walkers eat so much that the remains of their victims exploded from their rectums because of all the shit they ate just forcing the rest out and some PEPLOCs even had their own stomachs burst out and stumbled around with their own intestines dragging the ground. "Ugh..." I shook my head, refused to vomit, and just continued on my way.

"Hey." Shane called out and I heard Daryl and the others stop. Mr. Crossbow was watching me carefully when I glanced back. "You guys gonna help us out, here?" Rattler asked. I lowered my gaze and passed by the older of the two blondes sobbing over the younger one who was obviously dead just as Daryl replied. "Yeah. I guess."

Amy was the younger girl's name. How did I know that? Because the older one was repeated it over and over again as she held her and wept. It was a relatively sad sight. I hadn't known either of them but just a few hours ago they'd both been so happy and flaunting their fish. I would forever remember Amy not as a pale, soon to be walker, but the happy girl who'd done a victory shimmy after a successful fishing excursion. 'So much for a happy family. Those aren't allowed to exist anymore..' I thought as I finally entered the tent.

As soon as I was inside I eased myself onto the ground so as not to get any blood on either of the cots. They already had enough gross shit on them and I wouldn't be adding to that particular collection. Daryl's was kind of clean but Merle's was just the epitome of 'EW!'. Compared to it, Daryl's cot was heaven.

I flicked on the lantern and finally took the time to inspect the wound on my arm. The smaller scratches spattered on the rest of my body were nothing to worry about but the gash was enormous, bloody, and hurt like a fucking bitch-cunt. It started at the shoulder and ran diagonally down, ending right above my elbow. I stuck my hand beneath Daryl's cot behind me and dug a t-shirt out of my bag. Once I used that to dab away some of the blood I could make it out more clearly. At least a centimeter and a half at it's widest point it had to be two thirds of a centimeter deep. It was hard to judge because it just kept fucking bleeding. Whatever thorn had done that must have been a beast.

"Damn..." I dabbed at the wound again and then stared at the exposed meat in my arm. Any walker would have it's mouth watering at the sight of such gore. With the skin split so thoroughly one could clearly make out the muscle twitching beneath the thin layer of flesh left. Any deeper and I would have sustained serious muscle damage and that would take much longer to heal than the nasty flesh wound I harbored. "Lucky fuckin' me.." I grumbled.

'I should probably cover this thing up..' I thought. It was weird but I was less concerned with the cut itself than the exposed insides of it. What if the others saw it? They'd be able to see inside me passed the flesh. What if they saw those things that I tried so desperately to hide? Fear. Pride. Paranoia. Shame, selfishness, hatred, sadness, bitterness, and anger ever present? I could clearly see these things lurking within the wound and creeping around the angry red, upraised edges. They were bleeding out along with my crimson life force.

With my eyes never leaving my wound I reached beneath the cot again and pulled out my notebook. I flipped to the page with all of my observations and set it in my lap. Then I scooped up a good deal of blood with my index finger and smeared it across the top of the page. Then I began adding to my little observations.

_**Daryl**: **Aka Aka Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._  
><em>- Went off to Atlanta. He's letting me kick back in his tent until he gets back.<br>-Says he'll figure out what to do with me when he and Merle return.  
>-Racist. (Go figure)<br>-Doesn't seem to like Shane too much. I can understand where he's coming from on this one.  
>-Came back from Atlanta sporting a new weapon. Walnut-stock Remington 870.<br>-Might not have found Merle because I haven't seen anyone new in camp yet.  
>-Did he suddenly learn how to cooperate with the others? (Verdict is still out.)<br>-Doesn't like Glenn too much...  
>(Five foot rule)<em>

_**Glenn**:_  
><em>-Asian <em>  
><em>-Too friendly <em>  
><em>-Twitchy<br>-Went to Atlanta. He's got to be a good guy to risk his life for a bunch of people he doesn't know all that well.  
>-Knows the city well. Could be useful if we ever leave this site.<br>-Mossberg 500 Persuader shotgun...Stay the fuck away from that shit!  
>-Probably has never handled a gun in his life before the end of the world. Holds it like he's scared of it. (Hence why I should stay away.)<br>(Seven foot rule)_

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Rattler Aka Shane**_:  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>  
><em>-Didn't want anyone returning to the city.<em>  
><em>-Lori and he have an odd relation to one another that I have yet to figure out.<em>  
><em>-MAJOR ANGER ISSUES!<em>  
><em>-Beat the shit out of one of the survivors for hitting his wife.<em>  
><em>-Followed me down to the quarry tonight. He got too close and when I made to run he grabbed me. That's the second time I've been touched since I entered the area.<br>-Conceited  
>-Might be mentally unbalanced.<em>  
><em>(As much space from him as humanly possible! fifteen foot rule? A hundred foot rule!)<em>

_**Dale Aka Axe man: **_  
><em>-Has an affinity for cars. <em>  
><em>-A wise man<em>  
><em>-Holds a lot of respect in the group.<em>  
><em>-Designated babysitter.<em>  
><em>-Thinks I don't have anything to fear from the others. (Yeah right. He was definitely proven wrong not even a few seconds after saying it.)<em>  
>-<em>Keeps track of time even though the world ended. Must have a fetish for watches or something...<em>  
><em>(six foot rule.)<em>

_**Amy Aka 'Little blondie':**  
>-The younger of the two blonde sisters.<br>-Happy-bubbly type.  
>-Excellent fisher.<br>-Dead._

As I stuck my pen between my teeth and nibbled on it I tried not to think about how I hadn't known Amy's name until she was dead. Instead I focused on doodling in the left hand corner of the page. I could recall how the task used to get me in trouble at school. It was what I did to get my mind off of everything else. When in doubt I would just let my brain go on autopilot and cruise off into the land of nothingness. Just shutting off the brain was simple enough if one knows their trigger. Mine was doodling nonsense.

"The fuck are ya doin'?" My hand stopped mid-stroke on the tree branch I was extending out from the trunk with heavy outlines. I hadn't even noticed him come in. That's how lost I can get sometimes. Once, my teacher had to smack my desk to get my attention. I'd spent two long, agonizing hours in the detention room after school on that occasion. Why couldn't everyone just let my artistic spirit do it's own thing? I always seemed to get interrupted. 'Fuckkkkk...'

I set my pen down and stared at my work. It was just a tree. Nothing special about it. In my eyes, though, it was hope sprouting from the ground and reaching towards the heavens with a desperation that one could only call pathetic. I glanced to the corner of tissue sticking out of one of the pages. The flower. Yeah, my tree was a lot like that flower had been. Not in the sense of being a living, breathing organism but in the sense that it was a token of sentiment. Noah had told me he wanted to study plants when he got older. Not the same pipe dreams that most kids his age had but it was a goal he could reach for. Until the night that all of his dreams were destroyed along with everything else. I think he would have made an excellent botanist.

"Al?" My head snapped up at the nickname and my eyes darted to the man staring at me with a bit too much concern to have me feeling comfortable. I hadn't heard anyone call me that since exactly thirteen hours and twenty six minutes before my adoptive parents got the phone call that devastated my entire life. "Ya alrigh'?" Daryl asked. I could sense that he wasn't up to the task of making me feel better and I nodded. Yes. I was perfectly alright. Always had been and always fucking would be no matter what the fuck-holes who gave my psych evaluation said. They could all suck my non-existent dick. 'Traumatized..' I could have laughed. 'My ass!' I was just having a bit of difficulty with dealing with shit.

For a couple of seconds he quietly watched me before he finally rolled his eyes and set down his crossbow. "Bullshit." He grumbled and pointed at my arm. "Ya jus' gunna let that go?" He asked. I looked at the gash. In the short time that I'd ignored it the damn thing had been bleeding and it looked like I hadn't even wiped some of the red gunk off. I shrugged. I didn't know what he was worried about. It wasn't a life threatening injury. It could bleed all night and I'd probably never notice it. I'd give it a second thought if I started feeling woozy. Until then it barely registered that I should care.

"Goddammit, woman." He stepped forward and my gaze shot down to his foot as he breached the invisible four foot barrier around me. I leaned to my right away from him and tried not to cringe at the pain that shot up my leg. Damn, I'd forgotten all about that. He stopped and threw his hands out to the side in obvious frustration. "Could ya stop bein' such a fuckin' freak fer a second an' at leas' let me help ya?" I couldn't understand why he was getting angry with me. I thought he knew the deal by now. To keep his distance from the 'freak' and everything would be just fine.

I looked pointedly at my arm, back at him, and shook my head indicating that it didn't require care. Or, in my opinion, it didn't. He shook his head too and pointed at me again. "Ya need to take care of it. Ya want it to get infected?" He was practically snarling at me. Like that was going to make me want to accept his help any more. I hunched my shoulders. I hated to admit it but he had a damn good point. If I thought my leg would be a liability it would pale in comparison to an infection. Fever, vomiting, and possible death could result from me letting the wound go untreated. That option didn't appeal to me in the slightest. 'Shitty fucking dicknipples..'

He took another step forward and I stared hard at him until I dropped my gaze in defeat and let him advance. He did so with slow movements. He must have thought me crazy for being so guarded. He'd saved my life and even came to get me from the quarry. Now he was going to treat my wound? I was becoming far too used to accepting his help. How many more times was this shit going to happen?

I kept an eye on him in my peripheral as Daryl crouched down beside me and leaned in. Even out of my side-vision I could see the look of disapproval of his face as he inspected it with his own eyes. He whistled low and looked to my face again. "Really got ya good. What did that?" He asked. Was he not understanding the situation at all? Just because I'd let him come within touching distance did not mean I was going to turn into little miss chatterbox all of a sudden. I raised my eyes to the top of the tent and just let the question linger in the air unanswered.

He picked up the t-shirt laying next to me and gave it a once over. "Ya tried ta clean it at least.." He let out a small grunt as he leaned over and plucked up a bottle of water. I resigned myself to not caring what he did to my arm. It had to be better than my idea of just letting it go and heal on it's own.

"Jus' gunna clean it up a lil bit. I ain't got no alcohol'r nothin' so this'll hafta do." Daryl mumbled. I stifled the 'I don't give a fuck' tickling on my tongue and just placed my notebook back under his cot. I saw him spot the action and of course he had to say something about it. "So 'm guessin' ya slept in mine las' night." He said. I almost wanted to tell him 'nope. Merle's. Yours smelled like wet ass.' But there was a time and place for everything and I didn't feel the atmosphere was right for an unhealthy dose of my stupid sarcasm. I just wanted him to get it over with so I could go to sleep. Even if that meant sleeping on Merle's cot.

With the shirt placed at my elbow Daryl began pouring water on the gash. He then began a series of dabs, pouring more water on it, wiping it again. Kind of like rinse, wash, repeat but with skin instead of hair or clothing. It hurt. Bad enough to have me flinching but not enough to tell him to stop. I was a big girl and I could handle a little pain every now and again no problem.

Finally it was over and he pressed the wet t-shirt to the wound. "Jus' hold it there fer a while an' it should be fine. It's stopped bleedin' fer the most part." He replaced the cap on the bottle and hoisted himself up onto his cot exactly a foot away from me excluding his right leg which brushed against my shoulder as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"I'm guessin' ya ain't gunna let me look at yer leg, huh?" He sounded tired. I pressed my hand to my mouth as I yawned. Outside I could hear nothing but crickets which was a good sign. That meant there couldn't be anything walking around out there ready to kill us after we fell asleep. Good. I'd had enough PEPLOC fun for the day.

I shook my head and, exhausted and unwilling to sleep on 'The nasty cot', just let myself fall over onto my right side still holding the shirt to my shoulder. My leg wasn't very happy about the position but it could just deal with it. The ground was actually more comfortable than I'd expected which was a plus.

"Yer gunna sleep on the ground?" Daryl's tone was chock full of amusement. Well, at least I was entertaining him with my unintentional antics. I nodded and slipped my right arm up under my head for support. "Ya at least want a blanket'r somethin'?" He asked. I chewed on my lip as I debated until I shook my head. It wasn't cold enough to need to cover up. Daryl was quiet for a moment.

"Suit yerself.." He finally grumbled and the cot made all kinds of noises as he kicked off his shoes, shifted around, and began fixing his quilt. I took that as a sign of him being ready to go to sleep and reached over to the lantern. Even though pain ebbed in my shoulder I flicked the light off. Just as I did, Daryl sighed. "Ya ain't even gunna let me get changed?" He asked in the dark. Changed? I shuddered at the thought. Had he no morals? I was a lady. not much of one but a lady none the less. My ovaries qualified me for the position enough, manners be damned.

Then my brain started throwing up all kinds of shit. He'd been wearing the same clothing since I'd met him. He had to have worked up a sweat more than a couple of times since then and he hadn't had the chance to bathe yet. He was wallowing in his own filth. I could not, in all good conscience, not let him change his clothing at least. It was his tent after all and he was only letting me stay out of generosity.

Though my shoulder was just not up to it I reached over again and flicked the light back on with due patience. Then I immediately rolled so that my face was burrowed beneath the cot, successfully blocking my view of what he was doing. Daryl chuckled and stood up. "Bashful?" He had to be kidding. 'I'd just rather see a yeti taking a shit than watch you change..' I scowled at my bag in front of my face as I listened to him move around. Just listening to him I knew his exact movements.

First there was rustling and then the sound of clothing hitting the ground a ways behind me. It had to be his shirt. Then he was shuffling to the corner where I'd replaced the pile of clothing, folded. "Did ya wash my clothes?" His tone insinuated that no one had ever done it before. He went through the clothing for a moment before he must have decided on something. Then there was a pause followed by a quiet laugh. "Folded jus' like ma used to do it." There wasn't a 'thank you' or even a hint that he may feel some sort of gratitude. Just more movement as he tossed the shirt onto Merle's cot.

There was a clinking of his belt and then I clenched my eyes shut as I heard his pants drop not too long after. Why the fuck was I closing my eyes? I already couldn't see anything. 'unnecessary added measure' I assured myself. I forced myself to stop listening as another article hit the floor. A very light one. Weird. I'd pegged Mr. Crossbow as the type to go commando. I wasn't sure how I felt about being wrong. Especially about that tiny little detail that was irrelevant to my dog-owner relationship with him.

The dressing process wasn't very long. He didn't even end up putting the shirt on and I didn't hear the zipper on his pants even though I clearly heard him put them on. Then he was back to the cot after tossing his dirty clothes on the floor and plopping down with a 'whoosh!' of air and my face was damn near crushed as the cot groaned and bent beneath his weight.

I jerked my head out from underneath and shot him a glare. He grinned down at me. It was shocking how his mood could be so chipper when just outside the tent there was death lurking around every corner."That got a reaction outta ya, huh?" He was mocking me now?

With a glare still firmly set on him I slowly lifted my hand and extended my middle finger in an unpleasant gesture. He looked me over with a false grimace. "Fer a chick in a dress ya sure ain't very ladylike." He said. Ladylike? What in the hell was he talking about? I had my moments I just wasn't having one at the current time. When injured, few women are 'ladies'.

I gave a half-assed shrug and rolled over again to take the burden off of my injured shoulder. Facing away from him I was glad I couldn't see the look on his face because I didn't want to know what it was when he said "By the way. Yer fuckin' weird. Wearin' a dress?" Which he followed up with a chuckle "Never met no one who wanted to look purdy after the world ended." Whether it was a compliment or an insult I didn't particularly care. My dress was comfortable and it was what I wanted to fucking wear at the moment. What Daryl fucking Dixon thought about it was irrelevant.

The one sided conversation was over and to show it I flicked the light off and this time it was fucking staying off. I didn't care if he suddenly had to take a shit. He could find his way out of the tent in the dark. He must have taken the hint because he laid down and took a few moments to become comfortable. Then it was silent. Just the way I liked it. The only sounds were the crickets outside and breathing.

I let my eyes flutter closed. Even though there was only two whole feet of space between Daryl and I, it wasn't too stressful. With him on the cot and me on the ground I didn't have much to worry about aside from him rolling off in his sleep and crushing me to death. If he made a move that I wasn't alright with I could, even with a jacked up leg, move fast enough to get to a safe distance.

My body eased in a wave of relaxation that started in my neck and ended in my toes. It would be no time before I was asleep. That is, if Mr. Crossbow would stop being so fucking chatty. Only a few hours ago I'd been wanting him to come back bad enough to write it in my notebook. Now I would have preferred him to be somewhere else.

I was just beginning to drift off when Daryl yawned loudly. "Ya know. I coulda sworn I told ya not to go nowhere alone.." The fuck? He was choosing the moment I just wanted to sleep to lecture me? Was he kidding? I sighed and rolled on to my back. 'Little late there, redneck.' Besides, who the fuck was he to tell me what to do? I frowned. That was a damn good question, too. I looked back on a certain moment in time and smirked up at the tent ceiling.

"You're not this 'dumb bitch's' keeper." I muttered bitterly. On my left Daryl chuckled quietly. "I fuckin' knew ya were mad 'bout that shit. Leave it to a woman to hold a grudge." He shifted and the next thing I knew his hand was on top of my head, patting my hair and quickly jerking it back before I could claw his fucking hand off for it. He chuckled again and after a few beats of sweet silence he yawned again. "An' fer the record, yes I fuckin' am." I fumed silently as silence ensued. After a while his breathing evened out and I was assured that he was asleep at last. I'd let his comment slide for the moment. I was too tired to argue with him and after I closed my eyes it was all over. I was out like a light in no time.

...

**WHEW! That was a lot of hard work to type all of that up as fast I did. I hope pulling this out of my ass didn't mess things up too much! XD In the next chapter we have discussion of where the group is going next! Wonder what Al's opinion on all of it will be! =D Looking forward to seeing what you guys have to say! MUCH LOVE!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary**: Chapter eight is here at long last! Again I apologize for the delay in posting but such is life. I've been such a little busybody that I haven't had the time to sit down and crank out a damn chapter and I apologize for anyone who's cursing me right now. I'll try to make it up to you guys some-fucking-how.** Any suggestions?** Until I figure out how I'm going to do that, though, here's the next chapter! Talk of 'cures' and more bipolar Daryl bullshittery.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own rights to TWD or any of it's characters...-.-**  
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**Credits**: As usual YOU GUYS FUCKING ROCCCKK! I love checking my inbox after posting a chapter because I know I have reviews from all of you waiting for me and it warms my heart. Really it does...Well before I get too emotional I better get this over with! XD

-_Lucy Freebird_: Awesome! Skynyrd is baddassss! Hmmm..I don't know if there's going to be romance yet. Maybe. I could see it happening somewhere in the future. For all I know this fanfiction could end with the group going to China XD We'll just have to wait and see.

-_AussieGirl411_: Wow..Now I feel kind of like a bitch for making you wait so long for THIS chapter. Oh nooooo! But I'm glad to have you as a reader. You can be my psycho-obsessive stalker any day of the week. XD

-_Alex_: Careful. Calling me a genius might inflate my ego and that thing doesn't need to get any bigger! Thank you for your support! =D

-_MyMissingHalo_: Just reading that you re-read my newest chapter makes me glow all kinds of bright colors. Yay! To answer your question, no. Daryl wasn't slipping up when he was calling her 'Al.' No one else in camp was really paying attention to him during that scene. I mean I wouldn't notice someone shouting during a chaotic moment. Everyone's shouting. XD As always, thank you for waffling. You have succeeded in making me smile like an idiot.

-_Eris_: I thought you'd like that XD I can see WHY he'd be into the 'weird' ladies. Normal is too boring for a redneck who eats squirrels! =D

-_Marc_: Yes. There are quite a few people dead. An unknown female camper, and unknown male, and Ed are all pushing up daises. Thanks for reading, buddy!

-_ChildlikeEmpress_: Awesome! Thanks! I was a little worried about this chapter but your review had reassured this worried mind. Your support is greatly appreciated! =D

-_Pin-Chan2_: As long as you enjoyed the chapter there is no need to elaborate on what you loved. I'm good with just knowing you enjoyed yourself. It's all I aim for as a writer of fiction =D

**Playlist choice**: Vicarious- Tool.

...

With my previous levels of exhaustion I'd have thought waking up the next morning would be hell. Nope. I didn't even have any dreams all night. None that I could remember upon waking at least. Surprisingly I was up and moving around like it was no big deal at all. I wasn't refreshed by any means I just couldn't sleep for long with the pain settling into my leg and arm. With my adrenaline gone there was nothing to ease my agony. As soon as my eyes cracked open I was gritting my teeth and just dealing with it. There wasn't really anything that could be done. It was time to put on my big girl pants and just grin and bear it.

I sat up and leaned to the side to take all of my weight off my leg. It's throbbing slowly ebbed away into the background of my mind. I was curious how bad I'd fucked it up and with gentle fingers I slid my dress up to get a look at my thigh. My jaw would have dropped if it wasn't for me grinding my teeth. My entire outer thigh was a solid bruise. Darker in the middle, the edges were a sickly blue. There were a few splotches of yellow mixed in with the enormous purple deformity that was my thigh. The knee wasn't as bad. Just a few smaller bruises and my calves were completely unmarred aside from a scratch or two. No matter what, though, I would be limping for a while.

My arm wasn't much of a different story. The healing process had already begun and it was beginning to scab over in the most disgusting way possible. Even though Daryl had cleaned it there were still clumps of dirt visible in the thin layer of scab. 'Ew.' I scrunched up my nose and grabbed my jacket. If I was going to be moving around outside I was going to be hiding my wounds. I slipped the article of clothing over my shoulders and stuffed my arms through the sleeves. My dress covered the mess on my thigh so I didn't have to put myself through the laborious task of putting on pants. I couldn't even imagine how difficult and torturous that would be.

"It looks a lil better." I jumped as Daryl spoke and I swiveled my head around to see him, eyes open, with his head resting on his bicep. I could already see that he wasn't in a good mood today. Not with the storm brewing in those eyes. Jesus H. Mr. Crossbow needed to choose a mood and stay in it for a while. Watching him switch so quickly from one to another was going to make me cross eyed. He went from being a chatterbox cracking small jokes back to the man with the stony face in just a few hours. He belonged in the loony bin.

With a paranoid stare I nodded slowly and eased myself away from his cot. He watched me until I was using Merle's cot as leverage to get to my feet. Then he sat up and swing his legs over the side of his own. While I was busy making sure nothing was showing bruise-wise Daryl stretched and stifled a yawn with his hand. When he got up I was three feet away from him before he even turned around. "Quick lil fucker." He grumbled when he glanced my way. "Even wit a gimp leg." I extended my middle finger in an inappropriate gesture.

Outside I could hear all kinds of activity. The camp was bustling. In my opinion it was a little too early for all that moving around. It couldn't be much later than seven AM. There wasn't enough light filtering through the tent fibers for the sun to have come up too long ago. Oh, well. Different strokes for different folks and all that shiz.

I listened to everyone buzzing around for a moment before I was inching to my left. Daryl got too close as he bent down and grabbed his shirt off of Merle's cot. That's when I realized that I had been right. He hadn't put a shirt on last night. That left me staring at his exposed torso for a second. 'Way to go, observation skills!' I scolded myself and quickly turned around while he put the shirt on. I'd never been one to watch someone dress. I was a lot of things. A freak, a weirdo, crazy, quiet, and paranoid but I wasn't a perv.

"I ain't lookin' forward to this." I felt safe enough to glance over my shoulder when he spoke and I let out a small breath of relief seeing him fully clothed. Concerning his comment I cocked my head to the left in question. He spared me a quick look. "Fuckin' wit the dead." He clarified for me.

'And why not?' I wondered. The contrast between us was fairly vast. I didn't like fucking with the living. 'Hmm.' At least with the dead you don't have to worry about a lot of things. Living people were loud, obnoxious, nosy, violent, gossipy, hateful, and were cruel to others just to amuse themselves. The dead were nice and quiet. They may be cold and unresponsive but they weren't a threat unless they got back up. Given the option I'd rather fuck with the dead given they weren't undead.

Daryl plopped back down on his cot and shoved his feet into his boots with more force than I would have deemed necessary. "Honestly I think those people got what they deserved." He grumbled as he began lacing them up. I couldn't possibly fathom what in the hell that was supposed to mean so I scrunched up my nose in confusion and attempted my best 'the fuck are you talking about?' face.

He stopped for a second and looked me over. "Present comp'ny excluded, they got what was comin' to 'em. Karma's a bitch." He finished tying his laces and stood up to brush himself off. I rolled my eyes. 'Great. I can already see this day going just as swimmingly as the rest have..' I thought as I eyed him. I just couldn't figure out how Mr. Crossbow's brain worked. One minute he was content and the next he was a bitter fuck with revenge on the brain. 'Must be fun to be able to jump from one side of the spectrum of emotion to the other.' He hopped from one feeling to the next faster than a bee pollinating a field on it's lonesome.

I ducked as Daryl swung his crossbow over his shoulder. I really wasn't fond of getting in the way of it's bolts. Not at all. Not at the risk of having the fucker go off and land one of those heavy bolts in my flesh. "Well. Migh' as well git this shit over with." He grumbled and ducked out of the tent. I moved forward to follow him. 'Yeah. The quicker you finish helping out the faster you can get back to being an asshole.' Then I stopped as I peeked my head out of the tent. 'Oh..Wait. You never stopped.' I chuckled to myself and left my sanctuary behind.

Ten minutes later I was seated on the usual dark blue milk crate while everyone worked. I'd have offered to help but that would have fucked up my 'no touching' rule and of all my stupid little rules that I could be persuaded to break that was not one of them.

Daryl just jumped right into things. Once Dale tossed him a pick axe he went to work and I was graced with the sight of him demolishing zombie skulls one after the other like he'd been doing it for years. That was a bit unsettling but I just considered myself lucky that he appeared to be on my side. Sometimes.

When I'd exited the tent I'd passed by the older blonde woman. She hadn't moved from her spot, still holding Amy and staring at her. I could see she was remembering all the good times they'd had together. That's usually what people think about when staring so intently at their deceased loved ones. I'd spared her a second glance on my way to the milk crate but I didn't bother her. Everyone else, on the other hand, was a different story.

Lori was up first. After Whispering to those around her including Dale, rifle boy, and Carol she got up and brushed herself off before heading over to crouch down next to the woman to talk to her. I watched the short interaction with mild interest. 'Yeah. Good luck with that. You have as much chance of getting her to talk as you would me.' I took in the look on the blonde woman's face. I knew that look. Blank, calm, thoughtful with distress brewing beneath her still form. Yeah I knew it all too well. I used to see that look on the days when I could bring myself to actually look in the mirror.

I could see it. The woman was waiting patiently for her sister to turn into one of the undead. 'She doesn't want anyone else to be the one to put her down...' I settled my chin on my arms folded over my knees and stared at my feet. Love drove people to the extremes. 'People are fucking weird..'

'Grunt'

"SPLURNCH!"

Daryl hoisted the axe up over his shoulder and brought it down with such force that blood sprayed everywhere. The ground beneath his feet was already soaked with the liquid turning the soil a deep copper color.

"SQUISH" He jerked the axe.

"SHPLURNT!" With another grunt he yanked the point from the walker's head and more blood spattered out. A few flecks landed on his boots and he looked at with a scrunched up nose. That seemed to be the concurrence of the group. That walkers weren't even good enough to bleed on their shoes.

The black guy and Glenn hoisted the body by the pits and dragged it off, tossing it in the nearby fire while Daryl moved on to the next one. Even though he was in a pissy mood he sure was enjoying himself. Hopefully all of his hard work would work some of his anger out but there was just no telling with him. He had enough anger to share with a whole third world country.

As the body sent ash flying in all directions I had to cover my mouth and nostrils. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh, hair, and clothing so heavy that I was nearly choking. Flooding my nostrils over and over with waves of overwhelming decay. Death is a rancid scent all on it's own but undead death is a whole new level of repulsive.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. Rick had appeared and wandered over to Lori, who'd given up on the blonde woman, and the rest of the gossipy little group. "She still won't move?" He asked as he came within range. I buried my nose beneath my jacket sleeve and tried to filter some of the smell. I even scooted my crate back a ways.

"Won't even talk to us..." Lori responded. She sounded hopeless and I couldn't pinpoint why. It had nothing to do with her personally. Amy wasn't her sister and she was any relation to the older one so why was anyone's business in the first place? Oh, right. She could put us in danger.

I bristled as Shane piped up. Even hearing his voice made my skin crawl. "We can't just leave Amy like that." He sighed. "We need to deal with it. Same as the others." Ugh. 'Way to be a douche bag.' I thought. Really, how could someone be so cruel? 'Give the woman time to grieve..Shit people..'

Of course 'Officer Rick' had to step up and be 'the man'. What is it with men always thinking they can control a situation? Shit's going to happen either way so why not let the chips fall where they may? Nah. I'd just keep that little pearl of wisdom to myself. There people were far too busy trying to control everything around them to even care to listen anyways. Just like always.

"I'll tell her how it is.." Rick muttered. I could see the head shake without even having to turn my head. It was just obvious in his tone that it had to accompany it. He walked over to the blonde and I had to pretend to cough into my sleeve to hide my small chuckle. 'Oh, yeah. I see this ending real well..' I could have gagged on the bitterness of that though. Yuck.

"Hey Andrea.." Was all he got out before the woman was pulling out a handgun and aiming it directly between the cop's eyes. She muttered something to him and I made a little footnote for later. I'd get tired of being right eventually.

Rick began to back away and with every foot of space that he put between them Andrea lowered the gun a little more until he was back with the group and she was back to grieving Amy. I didn't even see Daryl waltzing up but I should have known he'd have something to say on the matter. I'd never met a man as outspoken as him. As far as being assertive went Daryl Dixon took the fucking cake, the muffins, and the ice cream.

"Y'all cain't be serious..The dead girl's a time bomb." He huffed as he wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Not even a half an hour beneath the scorching sun had everyone sweating from glands I didn't even know humans had. It wasn't helping the smell any.

I scoffed. There was the Daryl I'd met. I set my chin in my hand, tapped my foot and took to watching a trail of ants carrying tiny bits of food back to their home. 'I bet they don't even realize the world ended..' I frowned. It probably didn't change in the least for them. I was just slightly envious of the insects. 'Lucky bastards.'

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked. I glanced up. The look on Daryl's face was one of a man judging another of the same gender. The small twitch beneath his eye indicated distaste and slight agitation. His answer was just as cruel and obvious as anyone would think. None of them may have wanted to say it but it was what was running through all of our minds. I could see it in their eyes. Daryl was just the only one with enough balls to say it.

"Take the shot." He said so convincingly. Like if Rick didn't do it he wasn't qualified to be a man. Daryl was stepping up and giving Rick control which was rare from what I'd observed. I couldn't remember seeing Daryl give up control. He played by his own rules at all times so this was a pretty big deal. Unfortunately I don't think everyone else quite grasped the concept for anything other than him being cruel. He placed fingers to his temple in the shape of a gun. "Clean in the brain. From here, hell, I could hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

'Random self promotion? How unlike you, Mr. Crossbow..' I looked him up and down. "No. For god sakes let her be." Lori spoke up.

I had to stop my jaw from hitting the ground. With the speed in which it was dropping it would shatter on impact. I'd thought for sure that Hell would freeze over before Lori and I could possibly agree on something. Of course, I wasn't in full agreement. I'd give her time to grieve, yeah. But not too much. If left alone for too long there could be some serious problems. Especially if Andrea froze up and got herself bitten. That would be one less person in camp and one less living human being on the planet. Our numbers had to be dropping into near extinction soon.

People could no longer look at one another as expendable but we just keep finding a way to do it. To ignore the fact that keeping one another alive is the key to restoring some kind of civilization and killing one another off one by fucking one anyways. Humans are seriously fucked up creatures. Especially when forced into a major lifestyle shift. Most people had gone from working steady jobs and having families to fighting for their own lives every single day and barely able to find food and supplies. Everyone was experiencing anguish and loss and we were all unstable. The damages were of all kinds but the results were the same. Distrustful, angry, paranoid, instinct driven beasts with a strangled will to live. The most dangerous yet vulnerable animal. A tiger is at it's most dangerous when it knows the end is coming.

Daryl backed off a little and shook his head, sweat dripping from his nose, chin, and hair. He made a scoffing noise and wandered off with a swung of his shoulders that was too indifferent for me to even feel appalled. I watched him pass by Jim who was lost in his own little world spacing out.

"Wake up Jimbo we got some work to do." Daryl grabbed a body with the Latino and began to drag it towards the fire. The feet left trails behind it and I had the oddest urge to trace it with my fingers or to sketch it.

"W- Hey. Whoa- what are you guys doing? This is for geeks." Glenn had been monitoring their actions from the beginning but as soon as he realized what they were doing he stepped up and motioned to the fire. I crinkled my nose as smoke blew my way. 'I could never be a cannibal..' I moved the crate back a smidgen more.

"Our people go over there!" Glenn wasn't dropping the subject and he pointed off towards a row of bodies ready for burial.

"What's the difference?" Daryl shot over his shoulder at the smaller man. He just didn't seem to care anymore. Had he never given a fuck or was this new? I couldn't know for sure. I'd only known him a little over a few days. Either way, to him dead was dead and there was no discrimination between corpses.

Glenn became emotion far too quick for a straight and stable man. "Our people go in that row over there..." His voice cracked.- "We don't burn them!" He shouted. "We bury them. Understand?" He pointed again. "Our people go in that row over there." He seemed to have respect for those who'd died at the hands of the walkers. Really, it would be sweet if it wasn't so pathetic. To still be desperately trying to hold on to what was left of his humanity? He had far more strength than I. I'd gone ahead and waved goodbye to most of my humanity a few years back. It had hit the road and I hadn't seen it since. Just an occasional phone call.

Daryl didn't look too happy to do as he asked but he hoisted the body up again with the help of the other man and dragged it over to the row of bodies waiting to be buried. He dropped it rather unceremoniously and sneered. "Reap what you sew!" He snarled. I rolled my eyes. Someone sure had an extra helping of asshole with his morning coffee.

"Shut up, man!" The Latino grew defensive while Daryl fumed. "Ya'll left my brother for dead! Ya had this comin'!" He shouted. He was still sore over that I guessed. I hadn't thought him the type to let the important things go. He looked like the kind who could hold a grudge for fucking eternity.

He stormed off a ways and I watched him go. 'Fuckin' bipolar freakoid..' He must have been working up to that since he woke up. He'd been working in the scorching sun since rising. His blood was already boiling but Glenn's outburst had obviously set him off. His control issues were just too vast to handle being told where to toss a body. He was probably just tired and cranky. He just needed to change his tampon and take a little nap.

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!"

I snapped out of my thoughts as the black woman shouted at the top of her lungs pointing at Jimbo. 'Oh..That's just fucking great..More awesome news.' It wasn't surprising at all at how quickly everyone gathered. I could smell violence brewing in the air. Especially when Daryl caught a whiff of the hostility and jogged over, pickaxe at the ready. He must have fed off of the negative energy or something. I couldn't see why anyone would come to investigate. I was contemplating the pros and cons of doing a disappearing act while everyone else wanted to see the bite. Fucking weirdos.

"Show it to us." Daryl demanded. He sure looked intimidating with his axe and that 'Bitch, ya best listen to me' tone. 'This is just what Mr. Crossbow needs.' I thought with heavy sarcasm. 'Someone to take his frustration out on.' I looked skyward and shook my head. Heaven help us all if he didn't get off the rag soon.

"Show it to us." He repeated and lowered the axe from his shoulder. I scooted my crate back a few inches. Then a foot. Then two when Jim grabbed a shovel. 'Seriously?' I couldn't believe shit had gotten crazy so fucking fast this time. Just a minute ago things had been as close to normal as humanly possible with the current situation but now there was yelling and screaming. 'Hmmm.. Pick axe Vs. Shovel...' I'd put my money on the redneck toting the axe. He was a crazy mother fucker.

The shouting became too much as everyone got involved and while T-dog snuck up behind Jim and restrained him I covered my ears and tried to drown everything out. I've never been a big fan of loud noises. It's why I didn't like firearms too much. I knew my fair share about them but that was mostly because I just really liked to listen when people are talking to me. I may not respond but I'm always listening.

I clenched my eyes closed until all the noise stopped all too suddenly. I cracked my eyes open to see everyone backing away slowly with disbelief etched into every face. I looked to Jim and my hands slowly lowered from my ears as I stared at the wound marring the man's flesh. "Shit.." I mumbled. No one even noticed that I spoke. We were all too busy registering that camp was in big danger. We had a soon to be walker being hovered over a few feet away and Jim was well on his way to craving people jerky.

"I'm okay..." Jim looked just as shocked as the rest of us that he'd been bitten. "I'm okay.." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more so than anyone else. "I'm okay..." Over and over he said it like a chant. Like he believed that if he said it enough times that it would be true. Pipe dreams. He was already dead.

Daryl's answer to the question of what to do with Jim was simple. "I say we put a pick axe in his head." And he'd said it with nothing but confidence. I was beginning to think that his answer to everything was 'kill it'. He looked antsy. I couldn't blame him because it was the same for everyone. Since the walkers had fucked things up last night there wasn't much relaxing going on. The only people in camp that weren't too effected by everything was the kids. They were being kept out of everything. I assumed their parents thought it was for their own good.

"And the dead girl's an' be done wit it." Daryl was bouncing the axe in his palm. It brought to mind the image of a child bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for the ball game to start.

I was picking at a singular blade of grass poking up through the copper hued dirt while Rick, Daryl, Dale, Shane, and Lori talked among themselves. Jim was sitting a short ways away and if I could hear them from my seat, never having moved, then so could Jim. I felt worse for him than I did for anyone else in the world at the moment. How terrible could it be to sit around and listen while those around him talked about possibly ending his life like he wasn't even there? I'd been invisible my whole life but Jim's isolation was on a whole different fucking level.

Shane's voice made me twitch involuntarily and I plucked the poor lonely piece of grass from the ground. I was officially a murderer. So what if it was just a plant? It was still a living organism and Shane had made me kill it. Oh, how I hated him.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Rifle boy questioned like the asshole he was. Too bad Daryl was just as much of an asshole as him or else that question might have worked. "Yeah an' I'd thank ya while ya did it." Daryl was quick to respond. Jeese. I was going to vomit if I had to ingest much more badass macho bullshit from either of them.

Dale was the last person I expected to be on Daryl's side. I hadn't seen them interact too often but from the little I could tell from their personalities they were two extremely different people. Seeing them agree on something was like like seeing the holy mother Mary in a taco shell. Rare, confusing, and completely insane.

"I hate to say it and I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right." I had to take a glance around to see how everyone else was handling the elderly man's statement. A few faces registered shock but Rick looked pissed. "Jim's not a monster, Dale..Or some rabid dog.." He shook his head. 'He will be soon enough..' I bit into my tongue so hard that I could taste copper.

"I'm not saying-" Dale made to defend his statement but I was lost to what he had to say. Instead I began to wonder how many people had to be having the same conversation in a day. I could imagine people all over the globe being in the exact same position at this very moment. Having to choose a person's fate for them for the good of the group. In a sick way zombies made us all find some sort of common ground. Fear, survival, anguish. It brought us all together. Now if only we could stick together instead of bickering amongst ourselves like a bunch of high school drama queens.

I snapped back into the conversation as Daryl spoke up again. He looked like he was tired of Rick's shit as I looked him over. His grip on the axe was stable and tight. Whether he was planning on using it any time soon I wasn't willing to place any bets. He was unpredictable and no matter how hard I tried I could not penetrate that thick skull of his and peer inside to the thoughts swirling within. I probably wasn't missing much aside from a few racial slurs that he chose to keep to himself.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers or the 'to-be' ". He had a valid point. Letting Jim and Amy ride it out until they got up again could be detrimental to the rest of the survivor's healths. If they bit another person there would be another discussion over whether or not not to let them live until turning. If these people weren't careful they could open up a nasty can of worms without even realizing it. I sized Rick up from his toes to the crown of his head. 'You can't save everyone, Ricky.'

"What if we can get him help?" Rick set his hands on his hips. Great. Now he was going to start grasping at invisible straws? What kind of fucking help could someone get for a zombie? For a second the image of a bunch of walkers at an intervention intruded into my brain. "I heard the CDC was working on a cure." I was forced back into the conversation with displeasure.

In the apocalypse it was always 'I heard this' and 'I heard that'. All of these things people hear just never turn out to be true. Nowhere was a 'safe zone', life wouldn't be going back to the way things were for a long fucking time, the government didn't give two shits about us fighting for our lives, and there was no cure for rising from the dead and eating your loved ones and various strangers. That particular 'disease' was incurable. Much like stupidity.

"I heard that too." Shane sounded just as convinced as I did which was utterly disturbing in itself. "I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." That was something everyone could rally behind as well. Everyone had heard some sort of false hope at least once since all of this began and no one looked convinced over this 'I heard'.

Rick wasn't giving up. Not by a long shot. "What if the CDC's up and running?" He asked. 'And what if lollipops and gumdrops rained from the sky?' I nibbled on my bottom lip and peeled off a tiny scab with my front teeth. I flinched as it popped free with a tingle of pain and my tongue darted out to lap at the small droplet of blood already beginning to swell.

"Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane shook his head and fingered one of his belt loops thoughtfully. "Why? If there's any government or any structure left at all they'd protect the CDC at all costs wouldn't they?" He glanced around to everyone. I couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief. Then I took a good look at our surroundings. Where in the hell was he seeing 'structure'? We were all stranded and left for dead. The government didn't give a shit about anything but them-damn-selves just like the rest of humanity. We were fucked. Now if only someone would pipe up and point that out.

"I think it's our best shot." Rick attempted his best convincing look but it failed. "Shelter. Protection. Rescue.." He ticked these things off on his fingers. The last one had me smiling to myself. If there was anyone that was going to rescue our sorry asses they would have done it by now. Which told me that not many people were interested in preserving the human race. Not if they were willing to hang everyone out to dry. Maybe it was good for us to have had this happen. We couldn't rely on technology and others to do things for us. We were being forced to fend for ourselves instead of being lazy, obese, idiots.

"Yeah. We all want those things alright? I do too, okay?" Shane was beginning to talk with his hands. A sure sign that he wanted everyone to listen to him. People who talk with their hands usually require a lot of attention. "Now if they exist they're at the army base, Fort Benning." Oh, wow. Someone planning a road trip?

Lori was staring at the ground with her eyebrows knitted together in the middle. "That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction." She lifted her head for a moment and then she was back to staring at the ground. "That is right." Shane pounced on her statement faster than a fly on shit. "Now listen to me. If that place is operational it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there." If the place was such a safe haven then why hadn't he mentioned it before now? 'More promises of safety..Oh, joy..'

Rick still wasn't biting. "This military is on the front lines of this thing. They've gotten over run. We've all seen that." Well, at least someone was putting a little more logic behind their argument. Not much but even a little was better than none. The one that I expected to be offering suggestions was the one being quiet. Daryl. "The CDC's our best choice and Jim's only chance." Rick concluded. Well there was one thing I could say about Ricky was what he lacked in brains he made up for in humanity. It was damn shame that that wouldn't get him far in a world run by the undead. Where human beings were kicked to the bottom of the food chain with a steel toed boot.

Daryl, who had been listening with a half assed ear, then turned and looked at Jim over his shoulder. His hand tightened on the polished wood of the pickaxe resting in his palm and I could see the wheels turning behind those deep, brooding, calculating eyes. My gaze narrowed in worry. 'Oh jeese...What the fuck are you thinking?' I wondered as he turned back to the group with a roll of his shoulder.

"You go lookin' fer aspirin. Do what ya need to do. Somebody needs to have some balls!" He shook his head, frustrated, turned, and headed for Jim. My eyes widened as he advanced quickly with his axe the ready. "And take care of this damn problem!" He cocked back his arm, hoisting the axe. I jumped up from my seat, unwilling to witness any more violence. unfortunately my feet were not as willing to cooperate with me as I'd have liked and I stumbled and fell backwards over the damn milk crate. I landed on my tailbone and Ground my teeth. 'FUCKINGSHITBALLSDAMNMIT!'

I sat up quickly when I didn't hear the devastating sound of Daryl's axe in Jim's cranium. Daryl had his axe ready to bring it down and Rick was holding a gun to the back of Mr. Crossbow's head. "HEY! HEY!" He shouted. "We don't kill the living." He said. I could have called bullshit right there. Didn't he leave a man for dead on a roof in the blazing sun with no food or water? I rested my case.

With my ass throbbing I watched Daryl slowly turn his head to stare Ricky down while Shane placed himself between Daryl and Jim. He had balls to even do that. "That's funny. " Daryl muttered with palatable hostility. "Coming from a man who just put a gun to my head." He slowly lowered his axe. There was so much testosterone in the air that I wondered if I was the only pair of ovaries that felt uncomfortable.

Rattler folded his hands in front of him with his shoulders back in that macho way that men stand when they 'mean business'. Not as intimidating as they all like to think it is. Or maybe that's just my opinion. Either way I wasn't impressed. If I was in Daryl's position I'd just kick Rick in the nuts, put the axe in Shane's head, and finish Jim off. He'd been intent on getting the job done just a second ago but now he was backing off?

"We may disagree on some things.." Shane raised his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes. 'Don't all married couples?' He continued. "But not this." He looked down at the axe and cleared his throat. "Now you put it down. Go on." I was shocked as shit when Daryl did as he was told and he did so with the look of a scolded child. I jumped a little when he slammed the axe into the ground and walked away from everyone with his head down.

From my position on the ground I watched Daryl fume as he passed me by. 'So angry..' I frowned. He must have had a rough childhood or something. it was too bad he'd never sought out a little counseling for all of that built up frustration. Not like it ever helped anyone at all but at least he'd be able to claim that he tried to get help. I couldn't see Mr. crossbow accepting help from anyone..At all. Ever.

He stopped as he passed me. He must have caught me staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Shit, I'd been caught red..Eyed? He turned and if looks could kill I'd have been dead and zombified the second his eyes locked onto me. "The fuck ya starin' at?" He huffed with his usual pissyness. Was he retarded? it was obvious that I was staring at him.

I shifted my weight and put all of it on my elbows as I rested my hands on the ground behind me to hold me up. 'A man deprived of affection as a child? An asshole? A prick with control issues? Take your pick.' I shrugged. I liked how he decided all on his own that watching people was a serious offense. I was an observer so staring was my job. I took my job seriously and business was booming.

He looked me over with a sneer smeared on his face. "Din't yer mama ever tell ya it ain't polite to stare?" He asked. I arched an eyebrow at him. That was one of the things that I really didn't like about Mr. Crossbow. When things didn't go his way and he had no one else to bully he resorted to venting on the weakest person around. That would be me. Hi, I'm a meak little thing that doesn't fight back. Please feel free to use me as your silent little scapegoat. It's free!

I locked my gaze with his and didn't plan on looking away any time soon. I applied the theory of how to assert dominance over a dog. Staring me down wasn't going to work. In a staring contest I would win hands down. 'Do I look like a give a fuck and a half about being polite?' Daryl tried and failed and though he glared at me for a few moments longer he eventually shook his head in, what I took as, defeat. "What the fuck ever.." He grumbled and took his axe up again. No one said anything about it so I went ahead and assumed it was alright.

He walked off and went back to his earlier job. Now he was going to take all of his anger out by bashing in zombie heads. It was healthier, in my opinion, than standing around and bitching at me for just looking at him.

I managed to hoist myself back up onto the milk crate and continued to watch him. As he worked he looked so lost in thought. Maybe doing all of that work helped him clear his head. Gives him something to do with his hands so he's not stuck in his head too much with thoughts of his brother. It must have been hard on him to not know whether or not Merle was alive or dead. I'd do everything to keep myself occupied too.

Everyone else was off doing their own thing. The kids were still nowhere in sight and for a small second I missed Carl. At least if he was around I'd have had someone to talk to a little bit. I felt kind of jaded being the only person in camp who couldn't just have a little idle chit chat to distract myself from all the fucked up shit going on. Of course it was best that Carl wasn't around because if he were to be sitting next to me with Daryl hacking at dead bodies just a few feet away his innocence would be decimated. That kind of exposure couldn't be good for anyone which made me wonder just what the fuck was wrong with me to be able to just sit there and go unaffected for the most part. 'Hmm..The shorter list would consist of what ISN'T wrong with me..'

Everyone else was able to express themselves accordingly without worry. Rick could do it because a lot of others listened to him. The same went for Shane and occasionally Daryl. Mr. Crossbow was the one I envied most. Just because he didn't care what anyone thought about him, his words, nor his actions. It wasn't like I particularly cared about the opinions of others. I'd just grown tired of being call a freak so silence was my only option anymore. My words and actions were of the obscure. My lack of human interaction had fucked me over big time. I couldn't blame that on anyone else but myself and a certain fucking bastard scummy piece of shit that I hoped was still alive out there somewhere so I could one day find and kill him.

So far the only two people I could tolerate I held the weirdest relationships with. Daryl was my self proclaimed 'Keeper' and he used me as his verbal punching bag occasionally. Carl and I had only become friends over a bag of candy and junk food. I felt like one of those sickos that lured children into vans with promises of the same thing. Still, Daryl and Carl had been the closest thing to human connections that I'd managed to develop in years. Not even my adoptive parents had effectively bonded with me. They had just been support and once I'd gotten a job they weren't even that because I never relied on them afterward. They were just there no matter how much I wished otherwise.

Every now and again Daryl tossed a glance my way and I'd wave in a friendly gesture. Just because he was a dick didn't mean I had to be a bitch in return. I much prefer the tactics of killing with kindness when I have to retaliate in any way. It successfully pissed him off even more and every time he'd scowl until he finally stopped looking over at me. Guess he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere.

...

Daryl POV:

It was bullshit. All of it.

When I woke up in the mornin' I was pissed. Why? 'Cus I had a motherfuckin' dream bout Merle. He was up on that roof sawin' his hand off an' starin' at me like I was the fuckin' one who left him there. When he got to the bone he was grittin' his teeth an' screamin' at me. Somethin' along the lines of 'Why the fuck din't ya come sooner, Daryl? Ya know I woulda come got ya if ya were left up here!' There was blood everywhere an' he broke the bone of his wrist an' kept on cuttin'. 'Nah. Ya were too busy savin' some little cooz an' gettin' all fuckin' friendly to even give a damn bout me, huh?'

I'd tried to tell him he was wrong. That I din't even know he was left behind when I foun' Mute but I couldn't talk. I moved my lips but no sound came out. It was the most fuckin' frustratin' thing I'd ever experienced. I din't know how Mute could do it all day every day so easily. She had to be frustrated an' pissed twenty four seven to keep all of her emotions inside like she did.

So when I woke up, seein' her firs' thing, I wasn't happy. I don't know why. Maybe 'cus I could fin'lly understand her a lil more an' realized she was a stronger person than me despite how many times I'd helped her out up to that point. To be able to jus' take everyone's shit an' shrug it all off she had an iron will.

That dream hadn't helped my day along at all. Specially when the fuckin' slope threw a hissy over the bodies. How dare these fuckin' people try to act like they had a righ' to give a fuck 'bout the dead when they had no problem leavin' someone behind to die. Did they care? No. Too busy tryin' to make up for their mistakes in all the wrong ways. ya don't leave a man fer dead an' then not expect karma to kick ya in the ass. So what if Merle was an asshole? He was an asshole that they all did wrong by.

I hoisted the axe up an' slammed it down, relishin' the sickenin' noises of the body's head bein' cracked wide open like an egg ready fer fryin' on a friday mornin'. Workin' had always been a quick way to make me feel better. Makin' sure the dead stayed dead was jus' a bonus to me. Though I really fuckin' wished Al would find somewhere else to be. She was fucked up enough without watchin' all this shit. I'd brought her to the camp thinkin' things would be fine an' that she'd be safe. I'd wanted to help her 'cus she looked so fuckin' pathetic when I'd saved her ass. Then the second I'd brought her back all hell fuckin' broke loose. She had to hate me. Specially with how shitty I treated her. Even though I helped her out an' even cleaned her wound I was still a prick to her. Our earlier exchange was plenty evidence of that. She was the easiest person to take my anger out on.

"Can I ask ya a question?" I shot to my silent onlooker. I felt like talkin' even if she wasn't gonna answer me. Maybe I'd get lucky an' she'd open her mouth fer me again like she had last nigh'. Gettin her to talk had become one of my few goals. Why not? Nothin' better to do.

Lookin' over at her she had her blank stare dead set on me. I rolled my eyes. That look was priceless. It screamed 'Are you fucking kidding me?' "Well?" I jerked the axe an' loosened it from the skull sending blood in all directions. She rolled her eyes an' shrugged.

I left the axe where it was fer the momen' an' gave her my attention. If she din't answer with her words she'd be usin' her weird ass mime shit an' I couldn't understand her if I wasn't lookin' at her an' payin' attention somewhat. "Why the fuck do ya jus' take my shit?" I asked. Ever since she'd been aroun' me she never got pissed at me. She continued to follow me around no matter what the fuck I said to her an' I had to wonder why.

Her look was thoughtful an' she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. I watched the subtle movement in her jaw as she nibbled on it in silence as was her way. There was no tellin' what her answer would be. She was a fuckin' wild card. Was she gonna talk to me? I waited...An' waited..An' fuckin' waited some more as her eyes wandered off an' rested on the treeline. I tapped my fingers on the handle of the axe impatiently. Damn her.

Fin'ly she shrugged an' tilted her head, her eyes set on me again. I sighed. I hope she never wondered why I was a dick to her 'cus that was the reason right there. Plus her rules of distance that she kept fuckin' changin' up on me. She frustrated me. I'd never met a girl that made me wanna shoot a bolt in her ass jus' to hear her make a goddamn sound.

I pulled the axe outta the fucker's head an' wiped the sweat from my brow with a shake of my head. The sun had been kickin' my ass ever since I started an' showed no signs of lettin' up. There wasn't so much as a cloud to give me a break from those glarin' rays. I was pissed. Pissed at the other survivors. Pissed at myself. Pissed at Al and fuckin' pissed at the sun, the lack of clouds, an' the entire goddamn fucked up situation. An' I was definitely pissed over the Jim an' Amy shit. The fuck was wrong with the rest of the idiots round here? Din't they see that we were in danger if we din't nip those problems in the asses 'fore they became real issues?

I moved on to the next mutilated mess ready for an' axin'. This one was familiar. He was the overweight fucker that I'd wondered from day one how in the hell he'd survived so long. The one who'd called Al a freak. Ed. I'd never really given him a second glance so I couldn't say I knew much about him. I did know he hit his wife an' kid. I saw a few bruises on both of 'em on occasion. Never said nothin' though. It wasn't my business. Oh well. He was jus' another dead body now anyways.

Up went the axe again. He wasn't gonna be hurtin' nobody no more. Not once he was tossed in the burn pit. Movement caught my eye an' I glanced to my side to see the pig's wife comin' up real slow. Like she was scared. Hesitant. I glanced to Al who was watchin' Carol too. The fuck did she want?

Her hand stretched out to me an' I frowned. "I'll do it..He's my husband." her voice was meek an' she was already cryin'. 'Wow. Okay..' I looked down to the mangled mess that used to be her husband an' shrugged. Sure. I didn't have any trouble takin' a break fer a while. I lowered the axe, handed it to her, an stepped aside.

Carol was jus' starin at Ed for a while an' I watched her. Was she really gonna do it? I had a feelin' for a second that she would back out an' have me do it after all. It wouldn't be surprising. Most women jus' don' have what it takes to do shit like that. Killin' isn't in their DNA. They're all born to be emotional an' there was plenty of emotion on her face as she wept over the man who'd beaten her. Indecision, scrutiny, an' sorrow passed over her face as she stared for what felt like forever. Then, when I really started to doubt her she lifted the axe with a sob an' brought it down with the force of a woman scorned an' betrayed countless times.

"SPLATCH!"

Ed's head looked like a smashed pumpkin but Carol wasn't finished. She pulled the axe out an' with another sob brought it down again. This time it was less of a sad sob but a frustrated one. As she pulled the axe out again her face twisted in pain and anger. Her sobs transformed into grunts an' exclamations an' she brought the axe down again an' again an' again an' then it was over. Her face was a mask of agony once more and she continued to weep. A glance to Al an' she looked like she was goin' to be sick. SHe obviously hadn't expected her to go so far with it. Neither had I.

More cryin' an' starin' an' after a while she handed the axe back with a sniffled "Thank you". I jus' nodded an' watched her slump away. Her life was over in her mind. That was obvious by her face. She must've loved the bastard evil if he treated her wrong. I couldn't understand that kind of shit.

I leaned on the axe an' let out a long breath. To Mute I shook my head. I wasn't mad at the moment. Watching Carol distracted me from all of this shit I was pissed at. I wiped more sweat from my brow. "That was pretty heavy.." I muttered an' silence surrounded again 'till from a ways away there was a gunshot. Well, the Amy issue was done with.

Mute jus' stared at me like always an' I had to look away from that thousand yard stare. I'd seen compassion in those big, dark eyes an' I couldn't take it. Lookin' at her for too long would have me feelin' pity for others. I couldn't afford that.

...

**Okaay be honest. How was it? Terrible? Fantastic? Let me know! in the next chapter there's more talk of the CDC and lots of other fun shiz! Much love and I look forward to what you guys have to say about this chapter!**

-MeRci.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary: **Hey all and welcome to chapter nine! I hit a little bump with this chapter because there was just soooo fucking much going on in episode five that I had to go back and rewatch the damn thing at least fifty times. At this point I think I could quote the season thus far on command..A sad fact, indeed. BUT all of my countless hours of mind numbing writing and watching has paid off and this chapter is the result! I hope you all like it! Mute has a choice to make and Daryl's being a pissy little bitch as always and he's about to hit his snapping point. Sounds like more fun right? If you hate me after this chapter I'll understand hahaha. =D

**Disclaimer: **I do not own rights to TWD or any of it's characters.**  
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**Credits: **I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this but you readers are the best! I love you guys and I'm sorry that I make you wait so long for updates! I cannot express that enough! Forgive meeeeeee!

-Lucy Freebird: I'm sure this update was a bit later than you would have liked but at least I updated right? I'm sorry for making you and the others wait for this. Thank you soooo much for your kindness and support. Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!

-Marc: No worries. As soon as I finish up with season one I'm branching this story off into one of my own making until season two starts up. There will PLENTY of changes =D

-ChildlikeEmpress: Thank you! To be honest that had to be favorite part of chapter 8 as well. I don't know about 'bonding time' with how Daryl's acting! XD We'll see.

-MyMissingHalo: Did you get excited seeing the e-mail pop up telling you that I updated? Did ya? I sure hope so! =D I agree. I think both of these two belong in the nut house. While I was watching the show for the first time when it aired I always noticed how Daryl just goes from being alright to being an asshole back to being alright again so I'm glad that I can pull it off so well. Goes to show you how stable I am, right? HA! Can't wait to see what you've got to say as always!

-AussieGirl411: I'm happy to hear you're still stalking my fic. It shouldn't make me as happy as it does but oh well. I adore you! Thank you for following my fic this far! =D

**-**Alex: I hope you had fun on holiday and I was happy to see your review! Rant all you want because it makes me happy! It really does which just makes my day so much better when I get awesome reviews like yours and the others. Thank you! **  
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**Playlist choice: **Puddle of mudd- schizophrenic psycho

**ON To CHAPTER 9! =D**

**...  
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_Death has become the epitome of modern life. It's all that's left for us now. It is everywhere we look. All that we breath. It's all consuming and ever present, completely obliterating the line that humanity has drawn between happiness and sorrow for the two are one in the same now. As sad as the realization is we still struggle to survive. To grow. Whether we will succeed in this constant fight I do not know. Only the planet may. I get the feeling that mother Earth herself has been awaiting this for a long time now. To be free of humanity so that the creatures may cease building atop her already beautiful soil._

_Though I do not think that we all fairly deserved this fate I feel humanity had it coming in general. Being human as we are we were arrogant enough to believe that we could destroy, build up, destroy again, and reap all of the benefits with no negative consequences. We were the children writing on the walls. Well, mom came home early and beat our asses. Not the best metaphor but oh well. I tried._

_Being part of a group of survivors is an interesting life to say the least. To say the most it is an experience I could have lived without. When Daryl first brought me in I feared being rejected by the others. Now I fear being accepted into their ranks because it would mean I would have become just as idiotic and psychotic as they. Since my arrival there has been nothing but arguing, physical violence, and death. Am I just bad luck or something or is this the way things have been all along? I couldn't imagine it being any different. Not with so many personalities clashing. Butting heads like a bunch of hormonal teenagers. Actually. I think I've seen a couple of hormonal teenagers handle dire situations better. As adults I would think we should be able to come to some sort of understanding of cooperation. Teamwork is the only thing that is going to help us through all of this but I think I may be the only one with the clarity to see this._

_I can't blame anyone for their behaviors. We are all under some sort of stress. The stress of not knowing whether or not we could be alive the next day or the next hour for that matter. The stress of losing those we care for. Everyone has a sob story. Some worse than others but everyone thinks theirs is the most important and everyone else should feel sorry for them. Well guess what? I don't and never will. I can show compassion. That is within my capabilities but not when all of us have suffered. Every single one of us has felt loss. That's why I don't bother with trying to associate myself with any of them in most scenarios. I don't dole out enough pity. Why should I? No one else is willing to and even if they are I don't want it. Of all the things I could hate in my life pity would be at the top of that fucking list._

_With talk of hope, the camp has become rather restless. The CDC has been suggested as well as Fort Benning. I personally would not be caught dead heading for the CDC and if it's decided I doubt I'll be going along. I know a bad idea when I hear one and that idea has B-A-D written all over it with a neon green sharpie. Going into the city in such a large group we'd be ringing the dinner bell for every walker in the city. I remember how packed it was. So many PEPLOCs it had me reeling the last time I'd gotten a glimpse at the streets as I left with Frank._

_As much as I hate to agree with Rattler I think Ft. Benning would be the better choice. Not much of one though. He seems to think that because there's a possibility of safety that it is ensured. I wish I had that kind of optimism. Unfortunately I like to apply logic to my decisions and there was no way I was going to believe that the army was going to bail us out of this. I couldn't. So what am I to do? I think my time with these people may be coming to an end. I'll find out soon enough.._

With my notebook in my lap I tried to think of anything else I may want to document within it's trusting pages. Ever since the bodies had been hauled off to be buried in the back of Daryl's pickup truck I'd secluded myself in the tent and wrote of all the things that had happened since my last entry. Jim being bitten, Amy's demise, the walker attack, my tumble off the cliff. Everything. Rereading it all had clued me in on something pretty big. I'd have to really start watching my back. Up to this point I'd been paranoid, sure. But not enough to survive. I would have to step my game up because everything, including the planet, possibly wanted me dead. I couldn't slip up and if I did I would be paying the ultimate price. Though, I had to admit that death was beginning to sound like a pretty friendly invitation when compared to the other option. Waiting to die at the hands of something terrible.

Sitting there with nothing better to do I heaved a sigh and began to think of simpler days. I shouldn't have because my imagination ran with it and before I knew it I was scribbling like a mad woman. About an old rhyme. Pop goes the weasel. A poem. Why a poem? I have no freakin' idea.

_This_

_That_

_Tick_

_Tock_

_The weasel's dead_

_the chair now splintered_

_The cobbler is eating the monkey_

_and using his fist to make wishes._

_I wish_

_I wish_

_He whispers to the fist_

_The fist does not reply_

_I wish_

_I wish_

_He says to the fist_

_It sits bloodied, this stump._

_I wish!_

_I wish!_

_He screams at the fist._

_A single finger extends to the man_

_to which he replies_

_"well fuck you too"_

_Wish all you want._

_They won't come true._

My eyes scanned the obscure scribbles of a girl gone insane long ago and found them relevant to the current situation. Everyone around me was relying on hopes and wishes that had very little chance of working out positively. The CDC? Really? That was a wish made a star if I ever heard one. There would never be a cure for whatever the fuck was going on and we had to face the facts. We couldn't just grasp at straws. We had to actually use our brains, a scary thought for some, and come up with a logical means of safety. That did not include heading into the infested city.

With a hunch of my shoulders and a wince of pain I jotted down a name for my little un-rhyming rhyme 'Monkey's middle finger', and just sat there for a minute replaying the words over and over in my head for a bit. "Wish all you want.." I sighed. "They won't come true." My thumb and index finger played absently with the protruding corner of the tissue I'd slipped into the pages of my notebook when I'd first spoken to Carl. It made me miss him again and I plucked it from it's hiding spot, unfolded the tissue, and stared at the perfectly preserved flower. It's colors had faded only slightly with it's neglect but it was still as beautiful as the moment he'd handed it to me.

With gentle fingers I lifted the stem with care and twirled the flattened plant a few times. This way then that. "Wish all you want." I spun it again. "They won't come true." One more twirl. I stretched my throbbing leg out in front of me to relieve it's growing tension. I watched the muscle of my thigh spasm beneath the flesh and frowned. If I was lucky there wouldn't be any permanent damage but I wasn't going to rely on luck. I set the flower back in the tissue, wrapped it up again, and slipped it into the pages once more.

I slid the notebook back beneath Daryl's cot where it would be safe and placed both hands on my thigh. One on the inside and the other on the outside and began to massage the muscle slowly. It hurt like all hell but if I wanted any sort of healing to be done I was going to have to rub some of the lactic acid from the torn muscle and eventually try to put it to work. I couldn't stand limping around like a kicked dog with danger lurking around every corner. I thought I'd been vulnerable before? With my 'gimp leg', as Daryl had so affectionately put it, I was the weakest link.

The smell of dirty, sweaty man alerted me before the footsteps just outside the tent a moment before Daryl swept the tent flap open and ruined my moment of solitude. I lifted one hand and pinched my nose as his scent filled the confined space in no time. 'Dear, lord! Hasn't he ever heard of bathing!' By the way he didn't seem to even notice his body odor I guessed the answer was no.

His eyebrows knitted together as he noticed how I was staring at him like I would a gutted pig lain out before me in all of it's bloody glory. "Wha?" He sniffed the air and then lifted his arm and sniffed his pit. He didn't so much as crinkle his nose in distaste. He must have been immune to the stench because if I'd sniffed his armpit I would have passed out. He then shrugged and plopped down on his cot. I immediately launched myself to the opposing side of the tent to escape his scent, ignoring the pain that shot up my leg like a lightning bolt.

"Oh, it ain't that bad." He leaned forward and settled his elbows on his knees, eying my obviously amusing reactions. 'Yeah that's easy for you to say. You're probably used to it you nasty hillbilly.' I frowned and used the sleeve of my jacket to filter some of the smell. Even with the cloth covering my nose and mouth the smell was overpowering.

"Whatever.." He grumbled but after a few seconds he got up, opened the tent flap, and secured it so that it stayed open. "There. Better?" He huffed at me. I let a couple of beats pass until I felt safe enough to breath again and lowered my jacket from my face. The smell wasn't completely gone but it was definitely an improvement. It was now only mildly repulsive whereas a second ago it had been right up there with the scent of the burning undead. Absolutely repugnant.

"Ya know yer damn fuckin' lucky I din't find Merle. I'da thrown ya out o' here on yer fuckin' ass." Mr. Crossbow's pissy mood was back with a vengeance but I brushed it off as nothing more than an idle threat. He could still throw me out any time he wished but he hadn't. Was I grateful? Of course. But he was still a dick and I wasn't going to show him any sort of gratitude until he showed a little more respect. I was still a human being after all and I hadn't done a damn thing to warrant his rude behavior. Would that be any time soon? 'That would be a negative, Ghostrider.'

With a blank face and my 'Oh well' attitude I stared at him patiently. Anticipating an improvement in attitude. It was the equivalent of waiting for the cows to come home. Wherever the hell that saying started I had no idea and barely understood the meaning. But it fit well enough.

Daryl ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair and I watched a droplet or two drip onto the ground. The little bits of liquid darkened the soil as it was absorbed and disappeared just as quickly. Just like human life I noted.

"If it ain't one fuckin' thang it's 'nother." He grumbled with resentment. I rolled my eyes. 'If that isn't the fucking truth...' But what else could one expect at the end of the world? There would rarely be a day that one could consider 'good' by any standards. Only someone completely deranged would have a good day in this shit. Present company excluded. Daryl wasn't deranged. He was just slightly above average on the psycho meter. It could have been worse. He could have turned into a complete psychopath after the world ended and gone on a killing spree. Instead he took all of his repressed anger out on the undead and sometimes me when there were no walkers present.

The silence must have become unbearable because as the seconds ticked on I could see him slowly coming up with something to say. I grew anxious, paranoid of what may come out of his mouth, until he finally spoke again. "So whad'ya think of the CDC thing?"

Oh. Was that all? Well that was a relief. Or maybe not. Why in the hell was he asking my opinion on anything at all? He should have learned by now that I wasn't going to answer, right? Maybe he was just a little...Special. Like those kids on the short bus. I smothered my mouth with my hand to hide the grin as the image of badass Daryl Dixon riding the short bus to school. If he ever went to school. I couldn't see him lasting long in that sort of environment. Not with his anger issues. If he even made it to high school I could imagine him as the troublemaker always stuck in the principle's office.

"Well?" He was staring at me again. With the same look he used when he was trying to figure out something really difficult in his head. I nibbled on the fleshy inside of my cheek as I debated how to mime my answer. A little light bulb went off in my head and I gave him a thumbs down. Simple enough. It got my point across well enough anyways.

"Ya don' like it?" He asked to make sure he understood me. I nodded. That had him making a funny face at me which I tried not to laugh at. "Wait.." He muttered. "That mean ya ain't goin'?" He asked and for the first time since I met him, his macho bullshit faltered. Only for a second or two though because it was back as soon as I noticed it's absence.

I thought about it. Earlier I'd asked myself the same question but I hadn't come up with an answer and just brushed it off in hopes that I wouldn't have to come up with one any time soon. Too bad Daryl had to ask. I should have just kept my opinion to myself and avoided it all together.

Going to the CDC could cause all kinds of problems. It was a risk. A big one and I didn't know if I wanted to take it. Why? Because it would mean traveling through a zombie infested city, Aka a death trap, on a suicide mission to a place that could already have been abandoned. I didn't have the same faith in the government that Rick had. So what if the CDC was important to society at one time? Once the world ended it was every man for himself and anyone working there would have left to be with their families even if there was no certainty that they'd be alive. It was a game of chance and I was never a big fan of gambling.

Was the CDC worth the lives of any in the group? To Rick the answer was yes. To me..Well..No. Just fucking no. Especially not mine. I planned on living as long as possible and I could only see more blood, death, and anguish in heading for the city. Not good at all. I slowly shook my head in a very clear 'no way, Jose.'

The look that passed over Mr. Crossbow's face was priceless and slightly horrifying. It was mix between shocked and disbelief. Like my answer actually effected him in some way. Or maybe it was because he didn't expect me to be so gung ho about going off on my own. I didn't have his tracking skills nor his good aim with weaponry. I wasn't the fastest, especially with an injured leg, and I sure as fuck may have been smart but it would take more than just brains to get me through the shit that would rain down on me when left to my lonesome. Still, I was pretty sure I'd survive better on my own out in the wilderness than in a big group in the city.

"Are ya fuckin' serious?" He asked. There was a flat tone to his voice and so I couldn't pick up on his feelings about my decision. I lifted my good shoulder in a half-assed shrug and stretched my leg out a little more. 'Sure. I don't see why not. I've got nothing left to lose. I lost my one and only reason to live a while back.' I had to wonder why my decision would effect him in any way. He was just letting me stick around out of pity so what difference would it make if my presence disappeared from his life? He'd just go on being his psycho racist self. He'd just shrug and go whoop some zombie ass.I was sure walking out of his life would be much easier than walking into had been.

"So... Wait." He held up a hand and his expression changed to one of attempting to understand again. 'Not the brightest bulb in the bunch, this one.' He shook his head. "Yer sayin' that yer jus' goin' to go on yer own?" I tapped my index finger on my knee a couple of times and shrugged. 'I guess.'

...

Daryl POV:

Was she bein' fuckin' serious? There was no tellin' with Al. She could've jus' been fuckin' with me. It was damn pathetic just how badly I was hopin' she was goin' to bust out into laughter at any moment at how stupid I was bein' fer believin' her. She jus' shrugged an' as time ticked by it really started to set in that she might not be jerkin' my leg after all.

Wait..What? Why the hell was I hopin' she was kiddin'? She was just some girl. No one special aside from her odd ways. I'd saved her. That was about the only connection we shared. Other than that she was jus' a girl who followed me 'round an' took my verbal abuse. So why the fuck was I experiencin' a minor panic attack at the thought of her bein' so stupid as to go wanderin' off into the wilderness? Din't she know she had a huge chance of bein' some walker's dinner? Or had I been wrong from the start?

I'd thought that maybe bringin' her along with me to camp Would'a been some kinda help to her. But I mighta done the opposite an' jus' made her even more scared of people. Ever since I'd brought her back there'd been nothin' but bad shit goin' down. Not a single good day could I recall. I din't even know 'bout her experiences while I'd been in Atlanta but from her tellin' me she was willin' to go it on her own I had to guess that whatever'd happened while I was gone was enough fer her not to wanna be 'round nobody from camp anymore. So much so that she'd prefer a lonely death.

"Why?" It was all I could manage to say. I'd never been so fuckin' confused in my life. I din't like being' confused. It just pissed me off. Seriously. I could feel my blood begin to boil. I'd saved her ass an' she was willin' to jus' throw that away like it meant nothin'? I could'a saved myself the hassle an' just let her die but I'd done the 'right thing' and spared her pathetic life, stood up fer her when the other campers talked shit, an' even let her stay in my tent. Now she was jus' gonna brush it off? I'd never so much as gotten a fuckin' 'thank you' from her.

My crossbow was at the ready before I even planned out what I was goin' to do. I was fuckin' pissed an' all that mattered to me was makin' Al understand that I was NOT goin' to let her go off on her own. Not after I used my precious time an' energy to make sure she was safe. I hadn't had any kind of obligation to save her an' if she was goin' to act reckless so the fuck was I.

"Alrigh'. So ya wanna die, is that what yer tellin me?" Her eyes were as wide as plates as I shot to my feet. In under two seconds I was over her stupid fuckin' spacial barrier an' had a bolt aimed at the crinkle of confusion in her brow. 'Good luck tryin' to brush this off, Al.' I smirked and my trigger finger began to itch, caressing the trigger ever so gently. Seein' her face darken with fear I was reminded of our first meetin'. Her trembling figure backed against a tree with the fatass soon to be walker loomin' over her. Fuck tryin' to reason with her. I was known to be an asshole who intimidated people into doin' shit my way an' fuck if I was gonna beg an' plead with her to go with me..Us. The group. I'd fuckin' scare her into it if I had to. What could I say? I'd had a stressful day.

"If ya wanna fuckin' die I'll make it easy fer ya an' just shoot ya right here an' now. Is that what ya fuckin' want?" I growled, my boot crunched into the dirt, nudging the outside of her uninjured thigh. My eyes caught the small involuntary spasm in the muscle an' I could feel victory soarin' through my veins. I was fuckin' tired of bein' nice to Al when all she did was silently judge me.

"Well?" My voice raised barely below a shout and in that moment somethin' went wrong. Terribly fuckin' wrong. The face full of fear slackened. Those big, searching, brown doe-eyes went blank. Dead. I coulda sworn they darkened under my threat. There was no intimidation reflectin' back at me. Just a blank, indifferent gaze that had my skin crawling.

It was in that second that I finally came to know Mute. Not Allison Grey. No, she couldn't have that name. Or any name at all. She was fearless. She was dead. She was just Mute. With her eyes bypassin' the bolt locked on her brow she stared. Not at me but into me.

I couldn't falter. Not now. I din't care if I had to fuckin' drag Al along kickin', screamin', an' hog-tied. I'd already claimed to be her keeper. That meant she was MY goddamn responsibility.

...

Mute POV

What the fuck just happened? It was a valid question if you'd ask me. Not that I'd give a verbal response. Merely a shrug because I didn't know. One minute Mr. Crossbow was asking my opinion on the CDC and questioning my reason for not tagging along and the next he exploded and I was staring his trusted deadly sidekick down.

Daryl must have hit his breaking point. I was shocked by it. Really, I hadn't been expecting it at all. Even though he'd started his day bad and things got progressively worse with his mood over the hours I couldn't have seen him busting a fuse on me and aiming his crossbow between my eyes. I'd never grown to trust him enough NOT to shoot me but at the same time I'd begun to think that maybe he wouldn't. That possibly he saw me as an acquaintance. Though I wasn't wrong too often I was staring dead wrong in the face.

Mr. Crossbow was willing to shoot me in the head to get his way? He really wasn't comfortable with me leaving. Why? Fuck that. It didn't matter. I'd been in harm's way far too many times in my life to truly be scared. This was what I'd been dealing with my whole life. Not kind people willing to talk something out like rational human beings but animals. Deadly and cruel animals. If I lived through this, Daryl was going to have a brand new spacial rule stamped on his forehead. In that moment I hated him more than Rifle boy, Frank, and the scumbag who shall go unnamed put together.

I could feel the indifference set in and I stared Mr. Crossbow down. 'You don't have the balls...' I thought to myself with detestable remorse for my mistake in letting this man close enough to clean my wound the night previous. How dare he break down my wall of distrust, help me, offer me a few kind words, and then threaten my life?

The muscle beneath Daryl's eye twitched and it took a good amount of will power not to smirk. His eyes flared with intent and conviction but there was something else burning within them that I couldn't directly place. It looked like a flicker of doubt or maybe confusion. Whatever it was it didn't matter. He wasn't even sure he could do it.

"Go right ahead." My lips moved but I barely recognized my own voice. It was so sure and steady. Not a crack in the statement of hopelessness. Did I want to live? That was debatable. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't but I would be damned if I let Daryl fucking Dixon bully me into doing something that I didn't want to do. If I had it set in my mind that I wasn't going to the CDC then nothing he could do or say was going to change that. This was MY decision and he had no right to question it. If he thought he could make my mind up for me with useless violence then he was going to be sorely mistaken. Leave it to a man to attempt to get his way with violence instead of logical persuasion.

He froze. Even the flickering of his narrowed gaze was still as the darkening sky without a cloud in sight. Not so much as a playful breeze to cool the two tempers flaring and roaring within the tents flimsy material. "The fuck? Are ya fuckin' serious?" How many times would he ask me that? I could predict maybe two or three more times before the night ended. Were my decisions really so hard to believe that he had to question them over and over? It was becoming quite annoying.

I refused to flinch as I slowly forced myself into a standing position. My leg groaned as it struggled to uphold my weight but I wouldn't be accepting defeat. I had to stand what little ground I'd gained and I was sick and fucking tired of being pushed around. Of running away. I wasn't going to run this time. Not from Mr. Crossbow. Not from fate. Not from my own need to assert myself as rare as it was.

"Yer shittin' me, right?" His eyes looked me up and down once or twice as I finally stood in front of him. His crossbow hadn't moved. It was now level with my stomach but his eyes were shooting daggers into my face. I shook my head slowly. "Nope." I lifted my good shoulder in a shrug and then looked to the tent opening.

Now seemed like a good idea to put some well needed space between my angry redneck comrade and myself. I wasn't in the mood to argue or to have my life threatened by someone with the sense to know better. PEPLOCs I could forgive. They lack the ability to know right from wrong and are fueled on the instinct to feed. Daryl had all of the necessary tools to reproduce logical reasoning. He had no excuse for his behavior. So the fuck what if he had a 'rough day'? It was the fucking end of the world! He needed to grow up and learn how to let some shit slide. Like being unable to control every aspect of life around them.

"Al-..! The fuck are ya goin'?" Daryl must have had some stroke of genius or another mood swing as I scooped up my notebook and pen from the floor with a less than graceful movement. When I straightened myself and faced him again his crossbow was lowered completely and clarity shown on his rugged features. 'Yep. Another bipolar moment..' I shook my head. When would he learn that he was going to have to learn to stick with one emotion at a time instead of switching between every single one of them every three minutes. It couldn't be healthy.

"Al?" I shot him a weak glare as he repeated my name. He no longer held the right to use it but I was far too pissed off to care. I passed him, making sure to avoid any contact, and headed out of the tent with my most valuable items.

The sun was at the midway point in the sky throwing everything into an orange and pink glow that made everything beautiful. The trees, grass, the ruined soil, and even the small beetle that scurried before my feet. His shell reflected the sun's gentle rays with gusto and ignited a small spark of inspiration within me. I would have to remember to sketch it out later. With another glance around I concluded that a few shades darker and the world would have been the color of blood.

There was a small commotion in the tent behind me and I could imagine Daryl throwing a hissy fit at being ignored. Had he expected me to flip out on him? I would think not. I didn't really get into it with anyone. He should have realized that by this point. If not then he had a lot to learn. Not that I particularly wanted Daryl Dixon knowing me all that well. Just a few key pieces of my personality to ensure that we were on the same page in some small sense. It would make being in his presence a little more tolerable.

There were a couple of survivors littering the camp here and there. Lori was hanging out right outside Dale's RV. Her husband and Carl were nowhere in sight. I had to wonder where the cute little scamp had gone off to. Glenn was poking at the dirt with a stick. He looked like he was deep in thought as I passed by him. He'd taken up my abandoned milk crate and I could almost feel his boredom crying out to me.

Carol played with her daughter's hair absently. There wasn't a single clue on her face to express what could be running through her mind as she sat still as a statue. Her fingers twirling through the small girl's locks was her only movement. Since I'd been present during her earlier emotional battle while smashing her late husband's face in with a pick axe I could almost comprehend what she may be mulling over but it was none of my business. I wandered on like a ghost. No one knew me. No one there would ever truly know me. They could think what they wanted but the truth would remain hidden as much as possible.

I headed to the only place that I'd found reprieve. The site of my fall from the ledge. The peaceful and ever silently changing quarry. When I would decide to move on from this place I would miss the body of water the most. Though I'd been chased to it's shores by an undead in a frenzy I still looked fondly upon it as I approached the bank. Clear blue waves lapped lazily at the sand and rocks in a loving caress. In this place everything was connected. The water. The rocks. The grassy patches. The sand. The insects. The fish. Everything. It all came together. Individual pieces of earth colliding into one pure picture of aesthetics. If only my drawing skills were more impressive I'd have liked to have drawn it. To preserve it's beauty forever. In time I was sure I might forget it. If only I'd been graced with a photographic memory. Then I would be able to pluck the scene from my head in the darkest of times and be reassured that there was still true beauty in the world. Looking out over the vast, deep, wonderland I was reminded that the world was not just a blood soaked battle ground of survival but also a place of glorious harmony.

A sigh of relief slipped passed my lips as I stepped forward and allowed the water to ghost over the tips of my toes. It sunk into my shoes and my toes wiggled as the cooling liquid tickled them tenderly. Back when I'd thought the world was rather decent I used to play in the lake near the house I'd been born in with Noah. We'd splash around for hours and once we grew tired we would relax on the shore and just let the waters toy with our feet. If those weren't good times I would never know what could qualify.

I enjoyed the moment and then distanced myself from the shore to take a seat in the sand. I made a mistake in plopping down so carelessly but I realized it a little too late. I scolded myself for getting so caught up in thought that I allowed myself to become forgetful. I was going to have to learn to baby my leg or else it wasn't ever going to heal properly. A risk I couldn't take if I planned on surviving. Something I still wasn't one hundred percent positive on.

I laid my injured leg out straight and while the muscle twitched and jerked beneath the flesh I set my notebook in my lap. The nickname carved into the cover popped out at me even more in the sunset's glare. The light was bouncing off the water and nearly blinded me if I dared to look directly at it.

M.U.T.E

The implied insult had become my name along the way. Why? Because I was too busy avoiding people to care what they referred to me as. I'd just accepted it. It was the truth after all was it not? I was about as silent as any grave normally. Maybe on a good day I'd let a sentence or two slip. No one can stay completely silent in every occasion unless they really can't talk. It was funny though. I'd managed to be completely quiet until the world ended. In a way my own personal world had begun. I'd even formed relationships with two people. Given one was a psychopath who'd pointed a crossbow at me.

"Mute! Hey!" I jumped and twitched slightly as my train of thought crashed and burned. Damn it! Couldn't I just be alone with my damn thoughts for a while? That's all I really wanted. In a world of nothing but constant noise it was difficult to even hear myself think. Even in the less populated Earth I was still finding it difficult to find time to just sit and be alone with my nagging thoughts.

I turned my head in the direction of the voice and for the first time that day I felt my spirits lift and a smile took up residence on my face. Carl's brown locks bounced and even from a distance I could see the glee in his eyes. Like I was an old friend he hadn't seen in years. Oddly enough I felt the same way. His short absence from my life had been nearly distressing. Maybe if I'd had to go a full week without that innocent smile I would have been left with a pang of depression for a while. Who could blame me? With such a strong resemblance to Noah I would have to be four times as deranged as Mr. Crossbow and twice as emotionally unattached not to grin like an idiot just at the sight of him. The happiness that bubbled up inside my chest was welcomed with open arms.

I lifted my hand in a friendly wave as he came to a stop beside me and bounced on the balls of his feet. "What are you up to?" He asked with a quick glance around. I shrugged and motioned to my surroundings in an indication to him that I was just enjoying the rest of the day. The sun would be sinking down over the horizon any time now and I was saying my farewells. There was no telling if I would even make it to see the morning so why not say good bye to it while I still had the chance?

"Looks boring." Carl looked down at his feet. "Bet you could use some company." His eyes lit up and I nodded. His company would always be greeted with enthusiasm from this bitter mime. His optimism was contagious and if there was one thing I could definitely use a little more of in my day to day life it was a nice healthy dose of optimism.

I patted the ground next to me and Carl didn't need to be asked twice. He settled down Indian style and made himself comfortable. "I like your dress. It's pretty...Like you!" He looked me over and I blushed a bit. my day had just gone from being shitty to good in no time. I hadn't received an honest to goodness compliment with such genuine meaning behind it in I couldn't tell how long. I offered him a smile in thanks.

"I've been wondering..How do girls look pretty all the time?" Carl's face scrunched up in a funny face and I shrugged. I had no idea what he was talking about. I arched an eyebrow in question. "Well..I mean.." He searched for the right words. "All the men here are dirty and sweaty but all the girls like you and mom still look so pretty even when sweaty.." I didn't know how to answer his question so I just shrugged. I had never really considered myself pretty to begin with but this little boy was telling me otherwise. Sure my parents and adoptive parents tried to give me compliment on occasion but they were usually lacking any sort of genuineness behind them. Plus they were my parents so they had a bias. Don't all parents tell their kids they're good looking?

"No wonder Daryl likes you so much. If I ever had a girlfriend..I think I'd want her to be like you, too. Most girls are just so.." Carl began to go on about girls his age being so picky and girly but I was staring at him with 'WTF?' written all over my horrified face. What the FUCK had he just said? Oh yeah. Daryl adored me. That's definitely why he just had his crossbow down my throat. I could see how that could be his way of expressing his affection. If it was true then he really had a thing for squirrels. 'Must love them to death..'

"But you're pretty..And nice.." He was ticking my good qualities off on his fingers as he continued to speak. "And cool..Oh! And you're smart, too!" I was still just sitting there slack jawed, eyebrows furrowed, and eyes wide. I could feel the muscle in my left eye twitching as he went on. Whatever this kid was smoking I wanted some. I had to remind myself that the only reason he had it in his head that Daryl 'liked' me was because he hadn't actually seen the way Daryl was with me. I was sure that if he'd witness what really went on between Mr. Crossbow and myself he'd probably swear up and down that the man wanted nothing more than to keep me as his personal punching bag. Mostly in a verbal sense.

The comment about me being smart set in and I held up a hand and stopped him mid-sentence. "Why do you think I'm smart?" I asked. It wasn't really important in any sense but I had to ask. It wasn't the same as a guidance counselor telling me I was too smart to be wasting my time skipping class to read in the library. (By the way I think that has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. ) Because those stuck up assholes said that to everyone just to get them to attend class. I had better things to do. So what? Hearing it from this kid was a completely different story.

Carl's gaze fell to a small weed poking up from the ground and he began toying with it gently, his cheeks flaming. I grew even more curious at his 'caught with his hand in the cookie jar' appearance. "Well..Um.." He fiddled with the plant some more and his gaze darted up to meet mine. "Promise you won't be mad at me.." Oh, great. I already had an idea of where he was going with that and if I was right I would be less mad. I'd just feel violated in a sense. I nodded.

"Well..I didn't mean to at first but.." He was staring at the plant again. "But when I came down to the quarry and found your clothes your notebook was on the ground. It was just laying open. I was just going to put it back in your bag and give it back to you but..." He hesitated and nibbled on his lip for a few seconds. I motioned for him to go on and he heaved a great sigh. My notebook was open and out of my bag? The only other person who'd been there when I'd dropped it was Rifle boy. 'Oh..Dear..God!' I had to force myself not scream. Fuck feeling violated. My thoughts had been raped by the rattler! Mother FUCKER!

"I got curious. I didn't read much I swear. I'm sorry, Mute.." I didn't even care that Carl had read some of my deepest thoughts and my odd little observations. The person I despised had tossed my right to any kind of privacy out the window by reading my notebook. How much had he read? Why didn't he say anything? What the fuck was he planning on doing with the things he'd seen? 'Oh, what the fuck? What the fucking fuckshitballs?'

Carl's face was the epitome of sweet as he looked to me again. "You're not mad at me...Right?" My fists clenched and one hand instinctively went to the worn book in my lap. Mad? No. Not at him anyways. As far as Shane went..Well.. I had a new reason to not want to stick around in his company any longer. 'He knows my secrets...' This was as disturbing as it was infuriating. 'I might have to kill him...' If I had the balls to end another living human being's life I might have seriously considered it but I knew I could never do that. Not even to a scumbag like Rifle boy.

I slowly shook my head. "No. I'm not mad, Carl." My day had just gone right back to shitty. I should have fucking known..

...

**Okay be honest. Who hates me? HAHAHA! Any good? I had a hell of a time with this chapter for reasons that don't even make sense to me! XD In the next chapter we finish off episode five with a bang and then it's off to the CDC but the question is..Will Mute be going along with the group or will she really go her own way? Who knows? Can't wait to see what you all have to say about this crazy chapter! Much love! =D**

-MeRci.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary: **Sorry for the wait (Again). This chapter was delayed with the news that I'm going to be an Aunt. Oh..Not joy..So I've had a lot on my plate PLUS writing this out in a timely manner which I failed in doing. Oh well. In this chapter Carl has a little heart to heart with Mute and Daryl pisses himself off. The CDC is decided and the night is upon the camp. Will Mute forgive Mr. Crossbow? Read on and find out, my lovelies =D**  
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**Disclaimer:** I only WISH I had rights to TWD and it's characters..But I don't.. so fuck it..**  
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**Credits: **As always you readers make me feel all bubbly and happy inside! I can't wait for the reviews this time around. I'm kind of surprised nobody hates me for what I'm doing with Mute and Daryl. It's so violent! XD

-Lucy Freebird: First of all you're review was not 'terribly long'. It was wondrous and I thank you for it. Also since you're one of the fans that's so hell bent on there being a romance between Daryl and Mute I threw a little something into this chapter to make you squeal. Hope you like it! 

Alex: Wow! I'm so glad you like this story and have stuck with it. Your love along with everyone else is what keeps this thing going. I actually get a very big feeling of accomplishment knowing that I made you want to scream at your computer. It's an ego booster! XD I'm sure you will love this chapter..Er..or I'm hoping heh heh.

-Eris: Calm down, lady. Good things come to those who wait and patience is a virtue =D And I love your angsty-ness**. **It's why you're one of my favorite writers, silly.

-ChildlikeEmpress: Raped by the rattler is indeed an excellent line XD. I'm glad I could give you that. Ha. I had to kick THIS chapter's butt, too. It was being so stubborn with me! XD

-MyMissingHalo: WHEW! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I think Mute could use a little company in the loony bin. Poor girl must get awful lonely in there with only Daryl to talk to. HA! 'Redneck romance' I'm STILL laughing over that! Hope you like this chapter, love! =D

-Itspeanutbutterjellytimex3: I fucking love that name.. When I read it I can't help but start dancing XD Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat! That is priceless XD

-xXBXx: First of all AWWWWWWWWWW! You made me smile with your review! The best walking dead fic you've read? Well, now. My ego just shot through the roof..That's going to be a bit expensive to replace..Oh well! Thank you sooo much! Much love!

-Mewmew: ..BAHAHAHAHAHA! It was the first thing I thought of when I saw that cute Asian bastard. I was like 'woah, bro! Short round all grown up!' XD Thanks for making me laugh.

**Playlist choice: **Somewhat Damaged- Nine inch nails.**  
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**...  
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Feelings of immense fury at Shane for reading through my notebook aside I had to focus on the bigger fish in the pan. Though I'd thought that maybe the decision of whether or not to head to the CDC had left Carl unaffected the conversation ended up veering in that direction after a minute or two of agonizing silence while I fumed silently.

Our little chit chat had started out so simple and lacked any real issues which was what one would expect when talking to a child. Carl hadn't even seemed to be thinking about it but I guess he had nothing else to talk about after letting it slip that he'd read my notebook as well. It wasn't something that I particularly wanted to discuss with the sweet little ray of sunshine. I'd had a crossbow pointed at me not too long ago for giving my opinion on the matter and though I didn't expect a violent reaction from Carl I couldn't be sure of what he would do when I revealed my true feelings on the matter.

"Can I ask you a question, Mute?" Carl was tapping his feet on the ground in front of him in an uneven beat implying something was troubling him. I nodded immediately. If anything was causing the boy unease I would do anything to quell his troubled mind. It irked me to see that round, charming face scrunched up in unpleasant thought. I think I could probably watch baby seals being clubbed to death easier. Not that that was something I'd like to see..Ever. Not this girl. As a female I had a soft spot for small, cute things. Carl was a great example of this.

**"**I don't think mom agrees with dad..I heard them talking about where to go earlier. Mom didn't look happy.." He confessed. I had to stop and think about that for a moment. Had Rick and Lori really been foolish enough to bicker in front of their son? Like the poor kid hadn't seen enough. He didn't need to think his parents weren't getting along on top of the stress of the zombie apocalypse. I'd seen kids fall apart just on the former reason all on it's own. I frowned. 'Poor kid.'

"Usually dad's right about a lot of things. Like when we used to drive somewhere he always knew where we were going even if mom thought he was wrong. Or even when we had a really bad storm blow through dad always knew what to do to make sure mom and me were safe." He shrugged. "But Shane knows what's good for us, too. He took care of us when dad was in the hospital. What do you think, mute?" His eyes probed my poker face looking for anything to give away any hint of what I may be thinking. I feared he saw through me like a ghost.

'Uhhh...Shit...' How was I supposed to put it gently enough for this child to understand? I wracked my brain for the right words before I gave up. "I don't think the CDC is a good idea." I put it as simply as possible and just let him know how I felt about it with as much honesty as I could. I liked Carl after all so there was no reason for me to hide anything from him.

"Really? Why not?" It wasn't a challenge like I could expect from someone like Rick or Lori but a kid looking for reasoning to make an educated decision. It was a good quality to have as a person.

"Well..To get to the CDC you guys will have to go through the city. It wouldn't be safe for a group so large." I didn't realize my mistake until Carl frowned. "Wait...What do you mean by 'you guys'?.. You're coming too..Right?" There was a hesitancy to the last word that caused a pang of guilt to ricochet around in my ribcage.

'Shit..' I should have watched my wording more carefully. But it wasn't like I could have hidden it for long. At least this way he would have forewarning instead of me just disappearing, leaving him without a clue. I sighed and shook my head in response to his question. I was beginning to wish I'd just gotten up when the conversation had started down the wrong road.

"Oh." I cringed at Carl's new depressing tone. "So where are you gonna go then?" He asked, his voice quiet and way too melancholy for me to feel comfortable. I'd obviously hurt him. 'Way to go, dumbass..' I scolded myself for being so cruel. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

I had to think about my reply for a second. 'Hmm..I don't know.' Whichever direction the wind blew for all I could predict. I had no one. Nothing. So what would it matter? Maybe I'd just wander the world until I found a place I could be comfortable with. Maybe one day I would become used to the presence of the undead and be able to live somewhere with few enough of them that I could make some kind of life for myself. I shrugged.

Carl didn't like my answer much. I could tell by the look on his usually adorable face. "But then I won't see you ever again will I?" He was staring me straight in the eye with tears brimming in his own. For the life of me I couldn't look away. He had me locked in eye contact and if a tear slipped down that cheek I would lose my fucking mind.

'Oh, c'mon!' I shuddered as the sun lingered over the horizon. A silent threat concealed by beauty. I couldn't stand the sight of kids crying. Never had. A child crying never failed to tear me up inside for reasons unknown to myself.

"Man, this sucks. You've been the closest thing I've had to a real friend here." He was beginning to give me that sad little puppy dog look that Noah used to give me when he was trying to get his way. Damn. This wasn't looking like it was going to end well for me at all. "All the other kids aren't as cool as you.." He continued and though I didn't know how I felt about being grouped in with kids I listened to what he had to say. "And you listen to me. All the others want to do is play.." He paused and took on a thoughtful appearance. "Is it because you don't like us?" He asked.

That wasn't the main reason. I didn't particularly care for a majority of the other survivors but that wasn't the reason I chose to leave them. I shook my head again. "Then why?" He asked. I could have sworn I'd already answered that and though I usually wasn't one to repeat myself I did it for him. "I just don't want to chance going into the city, Sunshine." I sighed.

Carl's reaction was the cutest thing I'd seen in a long time. He puffed out his chest and attempted to look as tough as he could. "What if I promised to keep you safe?" He asked with a manly tone.

My mouth opened and closed but I couldn't think of anything to say. 'Damn. What the fuck am I _supposed_ to say to that?' That he could never hope to keep such a promise because he was merely a child? That would be far too cruel and I didn't have the guts.

I jumped a little when the young thing reached for my hand and took it into one of his smaller ones. He gave it a tight squeeze and those eyes were huge as he looked up at me. "Please, Mute?" He looked to the ground for a second, gathering what looked like courage before the eye contact was back. "Please don't leave me..?"

'Mother fuck...' I stared, mouth agape, at the child and something horrible happened. I saw Noah in his place. My heart stammered and began a frantic pace as my imagination went wild.

'Did he think of me in his last moments? Did his face resemble the one before me? Was he lonely? Scared?' I could imagine Noah crying. His eyes clenched tightly shut and his bottom lip quivering while tears streamed down his cheeks, chin, and neck.

'_Blunt trauma to the head.._'

_'Multiple signs of sexual abuse..'_

_'Twenty seven stab wounds..'_

The medical professional's voice echoed through my head followed immediately by the anguished scream that had ripped through me internally. I'd clawed at the viewing window in the morgue. He couldn't be alone like that. He needed me but I was dragged away before I could get to him. I could still remember all too vividly his pale face. His lips were blue, almost purple beneath the fluorescent lights that flickered every few seconds. The eyes that had once been so full of laughter had been permanently closed by a scum sucking piece of shit that didn't deserve to see the light of day.

I wasn't even allowed to get too close to my own sibling's casket at the funeral. I'd had to remain twenty feet away at all times and there had been a police officer present to ensure it. At the time, though, I'd been so far gone I didn't have a clue where I was or what was going on. To this very day I could only remember bits and pieces of the mournful event. The casket. Flowers being placed on top. My parents weeping. The casket being lowered. Then nothing. That night I'd looked death directly in it's greedy, smirking face and giggled.

Noah's face slowly morphed back into reality and I patted Carl's hand. I couldn't leave him. Not now and not ever as long as he asked me to stay by his side. It was a sad fact, indeed. "I'll go. For you, kiddo." I mumbled, my mouth so dry that I swore I could taste cotton.

Carl wiped away the beginnings of tears and a smile cracked his lips. "Really?" His eyes twinkled in the glow of the dying sunlight. "You promise?" He dropped my hand and extended a pinky to me. I nodded and, with a long exhale of breath, hooked my pinky with his. "Promise.."

...

Daryl POV.

My breathin' was quick an' frantic as I stared at the destruction that was my tent. When Al walked out I'd fuckin' flipped my shit. Literally. I din't know what the fuck was wrong with me. She din't respon' to my threat an' I hadn't even been able to go through with it. She'd just walked out leavin' me with my frustration which wasn't a good idea.

Merle's cot was on it's side. Clothing was fuckin' everywhere on the ground. I'd even kicked the shit outta my own cot, tippin' it over. It revealed Al's things underneath. Her bag. I hadn't touched it surprisingly. I glared at it now as if it held the answers to all of my questions about life. It was the locked door that I din't have the key to an' it din't help my temper any.

What the fuck did it matter? If she was stupid 'nough to leave her shit with me while I was pissed then she deserved whatever I did to it. I stormed over an' grabbed the strap of it. With a great heave I chucked the fuckin' thin' across the tent. It nearly collapsed the fuckin' shelter as it hit the siding but it stayed upright as the bag's contents spilled out when it hit the ground with an audible 'thump'.

My chest continued to heave an' my hands shook as I glared at all of the shit on the ground. Her clothin'. Though it was mostly clean I could still make out blood stains on a few of the articles. Especially the shirt she'd been wearin' when I'd found her. The logo was for a band. Pink Floyd. A fuckin' hippie band. Go figure. I'd never been into that kind of shit before an' I stared at it in distaste.

I frowned as somethin' odd caught my eye. It was stickin' outta the bag. It musta been stuffed to the bottom if my throw hadn't made it fall out right away. A teddy bear. Somethin' a kid would sleep with for comfort. Was it hers? I walked over an' picked it up, my frown deepening as I studied it. There was dried blood on the fur on it's back. Dried an' flakin'. It musta been there for a while. A keepsake? Had it belonged to someone she knew?

My temper flared again. How fuckin' dare that bitch consume every single goddamn one of my fuckin' thoughts? I squeezed the stuffed animal with hatred and took ahold of it's head, ready to tear the thing to shreds. I'd love to see the look on her face when she came back to see the cotton stuffing strewn all over the ground after I stomped it into the dirt.

I made to tug on it an' take my vengeance but somethin' else caught my attention before I went through with it. A few notebooks lay open at my feet. The pages rustled an' flapped as a breeze trickled in from the open flap of the tent. There were five of the books. She'd taken one of 'em with her so that made six in all. Had she written in all of them?

I dropped the bear, no longer interested an' scooped all of the notebooks up. Flipping through them I foun' two of 'em completely empty. Only her name scribbled on the inside covers with the same phone number as the one I'd seen in the one she carried around with her like a fuckin' bible. I dropped these two back onto the ground. They held nothin' to me so I discarded them as the trash they were. The other three were a different story.

I righted my cot with a grunt an' sat down with the books in my lap. I'd never been much of a reader but somethin' 'bout Al's notebooks were differen'. It wasn't like readin' a real book. Maybe I'd be able to figure the bitch out a lil' more. I couldn't see Al bein' the kinda girl who wrote 'bout boys an' other stupid shit in her journals or diaries or whatever the fuck these things were.

I opened to the first page of each one an' picked out the one with the earlies' date. The other two I set aside while I settled the firs' one in my lap. The first entry in this one was nothin' special. Odd but that was only to be expected from my anooyin' fuckin' mime. If she never said anythin' normal I couldn't see her writin' normal either. It was about her 'new family' whatever the fuck that meant. Was she adopted or somethin'? Skimmin' the page I confirmed it. 'Yep. I was right.' However it was borin' as shit an' I flipped the page. Nothin' good there either.

I bent the booklette an' began flippin' through pages until my eye caught somethin'..Odd. There was just one word on the page but it was repeated until it filled three pages straight. It was a name. "Noah.." I mumbled an' suddenly I got the feelin' that I din't need to be readin' anythin' from this page onward. As it started out the name was jotted neatly but somewhere towards the middle of the page the writin' looked like it had become a little frantic. The letters were scribbled sloppy until they were a jumbled mess an' it was hard to find spaces between the end of the name an' the beginnin'. The writin' was darker. Frantic an' as I turned the pages it began to look like the handwritin' of a psychopath. I couldn't imagine Al bein' the one behind it but it was hers so it had to be true. Who the fuck was Noah?A boyfriend or somethin'? I chuckled to myself imaginin' Mute goin' psycho over some guy.

The next entry I read more carefully. Turned out Noah was her younger brother. I hadn't known anythin' bout her life 'fore I met her. Oddly, I was interested. She had another brother, Issac but he was her adoptive sibling. She an' Noah had both been adopted by the same couple. I din't know much 'bout adoption but I had to figure it was rare for a couple to take both kids unless they really wanted one an' they refused to be separated. It was like a buy one get one free deal.

I closed the notebook as I began to get uneasy an' I picked up the next one. The first entry in this one caught my eye right away.

_I don't think I can do this much longer. Nothing is helping. I took the medication like Dr. Kim told me to and I've been writing non-stop. I even had to ask dad to buy me a new notebook just to keep going on about my feelings and thoughts. But it isn't helping. I can't stop thinking about Noah.._  
><em>I saw a younger brother and his sister at the park today. I had to take a walk to try to clear my head. They looked so happy but the second I saw them I blacked out. I don't even remember walking home but here I am, sitting in my bed, and writing again. It feels like it's all I ever do anymore. I'm surprised I even had the strength to leave the house today. The medication makes me so tired that all I ever want to do is sleep. I don't like sleeping anymore because Noah is all I see when I close my eyes. I'd say I'm losing my mind but it's already too late. I can barely even remember the funeral..<em>

I stopped readin' right there. Funeral? Noah? Her brother died? I was curios as to how but there was a hesitancy. I wasn't mad anymore. My breathin' was even an' my hands were steady. I din't feel like destroyin' anything' an' from what I could tell I was calm. Like the rest of the day hadn't even happened.

'I shouldn't be readin' this..' The voice in the back of my head shouted. Al had taken medication after a funeral. That din't seem like somethin' a normal person experienced. What the fuck had happened? Was that why she din't talk much? Had she been traumatized by her little brother's death?

My curiosity was growin' but I snapped the notebook shut quickly an' shoved them an' all of her shit back into her bag hastily. It din't matter how bad I wanted to figure her out there were easier ways of doin' it. I din't hafta read through her journals. Besides, there was somethin' in those things that I din't need to read. I'd need to hear it from her to fully understand. It just din't feel right. Just shovin' the bag back under my cot made me feel uneasy.

'What the fuck happened to you, Al?'

...

Mute POV:

"Carl?" We were having a nice moment, the kid and I. Carl was smiling and there wasn't so much as a hint of previous upset and then Lori had to ruin it all by metaphorically scraping her nails on the chalkboard of my brain. My first thought was instantaneous once her voice rang out as she called out looking for her son. 'Bitch.' The small muscle beneath my right eye twitched.

"Carl! I told you not to wonde-" She was drenched in sweat from head to toe. I could finally see what Carl had been talking abut earlier when he'd been pondering the mystery of how women could still manage to look 'pretty' even when gross. Lori, even though she was bitch, was still a moderately attractive adult female. If I had a penis I'd think about sticking it in her once or twice. But I didn't..so no. Just no. 'Wait..What? Shut the fuck up, Mute and focus!' I scolded myself for allowing such a drastic crash in my train of thought.

The look on the older woman's face when confronted with the sight of her son sitting next to me was, in a way, priceless. If I'd had a camera handy I would have snuck a picture of it for a laugh later on. It took her a couple of seconds to fully register what she was seeing and then her features smoothed into a false expression of relief. Her internal panic button was going off. I could almost hear it over the sound of me not giving a fuck.

She straightened her posture as if looking more mature would make me think highly of her. If only she could see what I was thinking. Then she would have known that ship had sailed, hit an iceberg, and sank a long time ago.

"I told you not to wonder." Lori finished her statement and pushed her bangs out of her face with the back of her hand. Carl sighed. "Oh, c'mon. It's not like I'm alone or anything. Mute's here." He gestured to me. The look on her face told me that it didn't matter if I was there or not. In fact it might have been making the situation worse. I drummed my finger over my notebook still sitting safely in my lap. I would never let it out of my sight again. 'Wait..The others are ..FUCK!'

How could I be so stupid? I'd heard the commotion in the tent when I'd left. What if Daryl grew the balls to actually look through my stuff or worse rip my notebooks to shreds?

"Uh..Mute?" I was up and brushing myself off before I could even let myself imagine my notebooks torn to bits and pieces. Carl looked at me like I was crazy but oh well. I had shit to do. Like making sure my precious notebooks were safe. My privacy had already been raped and I'd had a crossbow shoved in my face. I refused to let my day get any worse. Lori didn't look too sad to see me go.

If it hadn't been for my injured leg I would have ran back to camp. Instead I limped as fast as I could. I didn't care if I looked like an idiot with how I was waddling along quickly. I just wanted the reassurance that my precious thoughts were still preserved within the books I had entrusted with every single personal thought I ever had through the years. Every. Single. One.

When I left for the quarry the rest of the survivors were all doing their own thing but as I made it back into camp they were all sitting around the larger of the fire pits and everyone looked ready for a parental lecture or something equally serious. Was someone getting their T-bird taken away? because the fun fun fun had ended a few weeks ago in case no one got the memo.

My gaze grazed all until I located Mr. Crossbow. He was standing off to the side looking as intimidating as ever. He'd left his trusty sidekick elsewhere and was holding his shotgun, eying it until he realized I was staring at him. He then gave me a quick glance but nothing more. No judgmental stare. No sneer of victory. If anything he just looked like a slightly remorseful Daryl.

My paranoia could not be helped just by looking at him though and I quickly moved around the side of the group and slipped into the tent.

I exhaled the breath I'd been holding. The place was a damn mess that was for sure but my bag was still tucked beneath Daryl's cot. I guessed he hadn't tipped his like he'd done to his brothers. 'Thank you, holy flying spaghetti monster.' I took a moment to breathe and relax. My notebooks were safe. Nothing of mine had been touched. 'Calm down, fido..'

I exited the tent with caution. With the way everyone was staring at one another and fidgeting in their own various ways I was growing increasingly more paranoid by the second. It was a good thing. Better to think everyone's out to get you than to let it hit you by surprise in my opinion. They could all be thinking about roasting me for dinner for all I knew and who's to say I was wrong? Maybe Shane just distracted them all with 'important talk' at the last second.

I watched, observant as ever, as Rick, Rattler, and Dale all came marching up with Rifle boy in the lead. I remembered his earlier opinion on the matter of the CDC so hearing his opening words was a little bit of a shock to my system. I could have sworn he'd push Ft. Benning until everyone caved to his demands.

"I uh.." I rolled my eyes and made a wish that some of the survivors would think before they spoke. Then maybe I could tolerate their minor speech impediments. "I've been thinkin' 'bout Rick's plan." Shane and his two comrades settled their weapons on the ground. Dale remained standing while the other two crouched down on opposing sides of one another.

"Now look..There are no guarantees." Duh. There wasn't a guarantee to be found in the world anymore. Nothing was predictable. Nothing was safe. "Either way, I'll be the first one to tell ya." He raised his gaze to lock onto his friend and I could smell the romance between two (possibly) straight cops wafting in the air.

"I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts." Shane nodded to his good friend. Well, that made one of us. I didn't trust anyone's instincts but my own (and Daryl's on occasion) and my instincts were screaming 'HELL NO! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! D-I-E!' But I kept my lips sealed and listened to what rifle boy had to say. Even though listening to him made me want to punch him in the face I at least could show some manners. I was a fucking lady after all.

"I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together." Shane looked around at each individual in the group. Even me which had my skin prickling with goosebumps. If Carl wasn't so damn cute and convinced me to stick around I would have raised my hand, got rattler's attention, and told him to shove his pointed stare up his ass.

"So those of you that agree.. we leave first thing in the morning." I gulped. 'Damn.' And I'd been hoping to have a longer time frame to face my fate. Nope. Morning. 'Great'. So that meant I had to stay in the damn tent again for at least one more night. 'Hmm..Should I tell Daryl that I'm going along?' That was one possibility. Or I could just have a little fun with it and watch him continue his earlier hissy fit. So what? I had a right to be cruel to him. The fucker pointed a crossbow at me.

I shifted and took a look around while Shane confirmed that everyone was on the same page. I wasn't but the rest of the survivors looked like they could all handle the news. I was too preoccupied with the sun finally taking it's last bow and sinking over the horizon. Upon it's next rising I would be put in grave danger and I was getting a terrible feeling about going into the city. Walkers in mass would be hoarding the streets looking for a new chewtoy. 'Please don't let it be me.' I silently prayed to a god that didn't exist.

My fingers twitched and I gripped my notebook tightly against my side. If there was one thing I would never be prepared for it would be my doom.

With the sun gone people dispersed. I could hear their whispers of what could be to come when morning rolled around but all I could think of was 'Death.' Cold, numb, black death. The pain of being torn to shreds and bleeding out while the others ran and screamed. Some would hold their children tightly while I was devoured. Some would simply make a mad dash in hopes that the undead would be too busy feeding on me to notice them. Some would die alongside me. As I watched the others wander off I began to try to pick out who those few would be. Glenn? Dale? Maybe Rick.

My gaze hovered on rattler for a second and I nodded to myself. If I were to die I would try my damnedest to take that bastard down with me. It would be my revenge for him snooping through my notebook. 'Asshole..'

"I don' know why ya look so pissed 'bout it. Ya already said ya ain't goin'." I jumped and skittered a few feet to my right before shooting a death glare to Mr. Crossbow. Somehow he'd managed to sneak up on me. He looked rather pleased with himself for startling me which confirmed that, no, I would not be informing him that I changed my mind. I'd let him stew over that for the rest of the night.

My gaze leveled with his as I calmed down and we stared at one another for a moment. Then I realized that I didn't care enough about the situation to continue standing around in the dark. I didn't even feel like eating. I was stuffed with anxiety so whatever the black woman was heating up over the newly sparked fire didn't appeal to me any. I just wanted to be alone.

I ducked back into the tent without a second glance to Daryl and was extremely relieved when he didn't follow. Thanks to his earlier actions I didn't want to be anywhere near him for at least a couple of days. Hopefully I wouldn't be burdened too much with his presence on the way to the CDC. I would be trying my hardest to avoid his company at all costs. I'd even consider diving into a hoard of undead to keep the spacial rule with him.

I stared at the mess before me. I hated clutter. Couldn't stand it. Not in a small space that I considered a sanctuary. It was odd. Even though I was growing to hate Daryl I still thought of the tent as my place to get away from it all. I'd only spend a short time in it and already I'd grown accustomed to the distinct smells and even the appearance of it. So much that I longed for it to be the way it had been before. Slightly more organized.

I picked up Merle's cot first. Though I was almost terrified to touch it and have some of that awful stench rub off on me I held my breath and sat it upright with a heave. It wasn't heavy but it was enough to agitate my wounded shoulder and I winced and gave it a small, supportive squeeze once I was finished. Then I put the blanket and mildew infested pillow back in it's spot. Afterwards I picked up all of the clothing that had been tossed around and shoved it all back into it's corner.

It took all of ten minutes to have the place back in order and though it wasn't an important or large chore I still felt accomplished. I like the feeling of having done something good and reveled in it for a moment before I focused on why I'd sought seclusion in the first place. To write. Always to write.

I settled down in front of Merle's cot and leaned my back against it as I flipped my notebook open to my page of observations. I had a few things to add before moving on to my next entry.

_**Daryl**: **Aka Aka Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._  
><em>- Went off to Atlanta. He's letting me kick back in his tent until he gets back.<br>-Says he'll figure out what to do with me when he and Merle return.  
>-Racist. (Go figure)<br>-Doesn't seem to like Shane too much. I can understand where he's coming from on this one.  
>-Came back from Atlanta sporting a new weapon. Walnut-stock Remington 870.<br>-Might not have found Merle because I haven't seen anyone new in camp yet.  
>-Did he suddenly learn how to cooperate with the others? (Verdict is still out.)<br>-Doesn't like Glenn too much...  
>-Answer to everything: Kill it. (Including me when he found out I didn't want to go along to the CDC)<br>-Throws temper tantrums like a child..  
>-Abused as a child?<br>(Ten foot rule!)_

_**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Rattler Aka Shane**_:  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>  
><em>-Didn't want anyone returning to the city.<em>  
><em>-Lori and he have an odd relation to one another that I have yet to figure out.<em>  
><em>-MAJOR ANGER ISSUES!<em>  
><em>-Beat the shit out of one of the survivors for hitting his wife.<em>  
><em>-Followed me down to the quarry tonight. He got too close and when I made to run he grabbed me. That's the second time I've been touched since I entered the area.<br>-Conceited  
>-Might be mentally unbalanced.<em>  
>-<em>READ MY GOD DAMN NOTEBOOK!<em>  
>-<em> At first suggested the group head to Ft. Benning. Later changed his mind to the CDC. Probably had a long talk with his wife, Rick. <em>  
><em>(As much space from him as humanly possible! fifteen foot rule? A hundred foot rule!)<em>

_**Carol:**_  
><em>-Ed's wife.<em>  
><em>-Keeps to herself.<em>  
><em>-Seems nice.<em>  
><em>-Typical obedient woman.<em>  
>-<em>Instead of letting Daryl do it, she put the pick axe through Ed's head after the walker attack.<em>  
>-<em>May be stronger than I first suspected<em>.  
><em>(Seven foot rule.)<em>

_**Rick**:_  
><em>-Might have been authority before the breakout.<em>  
><em>-Handcuffed Merle to a roof.<em>  
><em>-Might be a good guy. The verdict is still out on that. He did say he would help get Merle back. Still doesn't excuse the fact that he put him on that roof.<em>  
><em>-Went to go get Merle and a bag of guns. <em>  
><em>-Has a 'more holy than thou' leadership aspect to him. He got to camp about the same time as I arrived and he's already a big part of the leadership totem. <em>  
>-<em>Stopped Daryl from killing Jim. He says not to kill the living. But I think Jim's already dead for the most part.<em>  
>-<em>Suggested the group relocate to the CDC. I don't trust his instincts<em>.  
><em>(Ten foot rule.)<em>

_**Carl Aka 'Sunshine'**:_  
><em>-Rick's son.<em>  
><em>-Sweet kid.<em>  
><em>-Curious.<em>  
><em>-I don't think his mother likes me too much.<em>  
><em>-The most adorable kid I've ever had the good graces to meet.<em>  
><em>-Really likes candy. (What kid doesn't?)<em>  
><em>-He reminds me of Noah...<em>  
><em>-Lots of faith in his father.<em>  
><em>-Wanted me to catch frogs with him and Shane. <em>  
>-<em>Didn't see him for a while after the walkers attacked camp. I missed him. <em>  
>-<em>Convinced me to go with the group to the CDC. God damn it..<em>  
>-<em>Also read my notebook..I blame Shane. Fucking bastard..<em>  
><em>(No distance rule.)<em>

_**Lori Aka 'The cops wife' Aka Bitch:**_  
>-<em>Reunited with her husband.<em>  
>-<em>Keeps giving me the stink eye<em>  
><em>-Might have a split personality. She told Rick that he would go back for Merle then argued that he shouldn't go later in the day. <em>  
><em>-Doesn't like Shane hanging around her son.<em>  
><em>-Kind of melodramatic.<br>-Bitch..  
><em>_(Twelve foot rule?)_

_**Jim Aka 'Pitchfork'** :_  
><em>-Kind of quiet.<em>  
><em>-Likes to hang around Dale.<em>  
><em>-Might be experiencing some sort of mental breakdown. I saw him digging on my way back to the tent. <em>  
>-<em>Was bitten in the walker attack. Poor son of a bitch..It won't be long before he's dead.<em>  
><em>(Twelve foot rule.)<em>

With that out of the way I dove into my next entry. The others, from what I could hear, were all chatting amongst themselves outside. I estimated that I had at least twenty minutes left to myself before Daryl would grow tired of being sociable and come in to bug the shit out of me for something. Was he still angry with me? When he'd spoken to me outside of the tent he hadn't sounded like it but I couldn't predict him. Not at all.

_ The group heads for the CDC in the morning. I, after having a talk with Carl, have decided to go along. I can barely believe the kid managed to change my mind so easily. I can't help but wonder what my relationship with him would have been like if he didn't remind me so much of Noah. Would I have gotten to be so close to him? There's no way to tell.  
>Today was kind of shitty. I had a crossbow pointed at my face when I informed Daryl that I didn't want to go along to the CDC. That's how I ended up talking to Carl about it. I went down to the quarry for some thinking time and ended up in this situation. Worrying myself to death over going into the city. The mere thought of it petrifies me.<br>After that I learned that Carl read my notebook the night I left my things down at the quarry. I'd been in such a hurry to get away from Rifle boy that I'd abandoned my bag. Mistake. Not only that but Shane read it too. It makes me paranoid as all shit to know that he has my secrets lurking in the back of his mind. I hope he keeps his newly acquired knowledge to himself and doesn't decide to spread the word that I'm batshit crazy. The other survivors are wary enough of me as is. They don't need their fears confirmed that I'm unstable.  
>I worry that I may not be of this earth for much longer. Among the ranks of the living, that is. I remember how many walkers there were in the city and it wasn't just a handful. From the cliff I looked down at the city and the streets were packed with flesh eaters. I can't even think back on it without shuddering. I can't be sure what I fear most anymore. Death? Or undeath?<em>

I stopped as the sounds of voices reached my ears through the tent fabric. They weren't quiet but they were distanced so I had to strain a little to really make out what was being said. Rick was talking to Shane. I could only differentiate between the two because Rattler's voice was deeper and had more of the drawl to it than Ricky's did.

"Ohh, man. The hell happened to your arm?" Rick asked. There was a long pause of silence and I could imagine Shane looking to the bite I'd bestowed upon him the same night he'd read through my journal. I felt absolutely no remorse for my actions that night. He'd deserved it. 'Asshole.'

There were some footsteps that I couldn't place to anyone. "Oh, this?" Shane sniffed and I smirked to myself. 'Yeah. Go ahead and tell your wife what you did.'

"Well. Couple of nights ago I went down to the quarry 'cause I heard someone movin' round so I went to go see who it was and-" There was another shuffled of footsteps followed by a voice I was surprised to hear.

"Damn, man. The hell did ya get bit by?" It was Daryl. Shane cut his explanation short and the were a few more moments of silence. So Daryl must have gotten curious about what Rick was talking about. He must have thought that maybe Shane had been bitten by a walker. Of course my bite would look nothing like a walkers which would explain the lack of accusation in the redneck's question. He was simply curious.

"Well.." Shane cleared his throat. "Like I was tellin' Rick, here. I went down to the quarry a couple of nights ago 'cus I thought someone was down there an' ya know what the hell I find?" He chuckled low. "A damn dog. It must'a belonged to someone 'cus it had a collar and all." Of course he wouldn't say what really happened in front of Daryl. I wouldn't either. Mr. Crossbow was armed with a shotgun and though I wasn't his favorite person at the moment he still claimed to be my keeper. I couldn't see him having a calm, inquisitive reaction to being told the real story of that night.

"I tried to see if it would come to me but I must'a spooked it 'cus it fuckin' bit me. Hurt like a bitch, I'll tell ya that much." Again, Shane chuckled and I was amazed at the detail he put into his lie. He probably knew that I would never open my mouth about the incident so he must have felt pretty safe to lie to Daryl's face like that.

"Yeah?" Daryl hummed. Rick sounded convinced. "Better hope that thing didn't have rabies" It was said in a joking manner.

"That don't look like no dog bite I ever seen." Daryl mumbled. My breath caught in my throat. Shane hadn't taken Daryl's hunting and tracking skills into consideration. There was no doubt in my mind that the crossbow toting psycho knew what a dog bite looked like along with a few other animal chew marks. Would he figure it out?

"It don't?" Shane sounded confused. He had to be panicking in his head. He laughed. "Well that's what it is. Had half a mind to shoot the damn thing but it ran off too quick." He was trying to cover his ass and I wondered if anyone else could hear through the bullshit as well as I could.

"Uh huh.." Daryl clicked his tongue. "Well I'd put somethin' on that." There was shuffling of feet and I could make out Daryl's retreating footsteps. "Whoever bit ya really got ya good. Wouldn't want it to get infected.." The confidence in his tone had me wanting to punch the air in triumph. I wasn't Mr. Crossbow's biggest fan but at the moment I couldn't help but feel proud of him. 'They grow up so fast.'

While I began doing a half assed small cabbage patch victory dance in my seated position I forgot to pay attention to the fact that Daryl's footsteps were approaching the tent. I was caught mid-dance.

"The fu-" Daryl cut himself off and shook his head. I dropped my hands into my lap and closed my notebook quickly. "Nevermin' I don' wanna know." He entered the tent and closed the flap. 'Oops.'

For the five minutes that followed the tent felt cramped with both of us inside and it wasn't until Daryl plopped down onto his cot and began taking off his boots that I remembered that I'd changed my space rule for him. It was no longer within my ability to stay inside the tent with him. Not with the new ten foot rule in place.

I got up slowly. All of the excitement of the day was wearing on me and my bones creaked and groaned. My body longed for rest but there would be none of that for this mime.

Notebook in hand I brushed myself off and ignored Daryl's eyes as they followed me. "Hey..Where ya goin?" He asked. I stopped in my tracks as the stupidity of his question knocked me for a loop. Where was I going? Really? Like he hadn't threatened to shoot me earlier? Was he insane? 'Wait..I already confirmed this. Yes. He is insane.' I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"I lef' my crossbow an' rifle outside. Ya ain't gotta worry 'bout it. I ain't gonna threaten yer life again." The agitation in his tone was palatable. Like he couldn't kill me with his bare hands. He could. I knew he could. He was a big guy and I wasn't the toughest female. I could hold my own against another woman possibly but not the crossbow toting psycho. He could probably snap my neck with just his thumb and index finger.

Besides all of that I was enforcing my new rule. Of course I felt obligated to inform him of this new rule so I turned to stare at him, face void of all emotion. "Ten feet." I explained. I would have stuck around to admire the way his jaw dropped but I was already turning to leave again.

"Ya fuckin' kiddin' me? No! No goddamn way!" The tent flap fluttered behind me as I walked out. The embers of the fire still flickered but apparently Shane, Rick, Dale, Lori, and the others had all decided it was time to call it a night. I couldn't blame Rifle boy. I would have high tailed it too with Daryl's parting words to him.

Glenn remained though. He was staring at the dying embers until my presence put him on alert. Then he raised his hand in a curt wave. I stopped for a moment to analyze him. He must have been pretty lonely if he was willing to sit there all by himself after the sun went down. Maybe a little crazy too because I couldn't see a sane person risking that level of vulnerability. Was everyone nuts, here? Or was I just jumping to conclusions?

"Goddamn it, Al!" I turned my head as Daryl stormed out of the tent. He flung open the flap with ferocity and I could have sworn he was growling at me. "I'm fuckin' sorry 'bout earlier! Ya happy now?" He flung his arms out and I gave him a blank stare as I put ten feet of space between us. Happy? No. Happiness couldn't be achieved with yelling. I didn't give a fuck if he apologized until he was blue in the face. That wasn't what I wanted. I wanted him to leave me alone. I'd been a good dog. I'd sat when he told me to sit. I'd stayed when he told me to stay. I'd taken his verbal abuse but I wasn't going to allow him to physically threaten me and act like it wasn't a big deal. I was a human being.

I responded to him with a simple shrug. He was beginning to remind me of Shane in a way. He was losing his ability to give me my space and know when enough was enough. Not good. One Rifle boy was enough. I didn't need two pestering me. The funny thing was I wasn't one to hold a grudge. If Daryl would have just let me be for a little while I would have forgiven him and reverted back to being the loyal little mime I was in the beginning. Instead he had to push the boundaries. It all happened so fucking fast.

"Could ya let me fuckin' explain?" Daryl exclaimed. Explain what? That he'd lost his mind over not being able to control me? Yeah, that could go without saying. 'Just leave me alone. I'll get over it. You're just making it worse.' If only I'd have opened my mouth to tell him those things what took place next might not have happened. If only.

I shook my head and turned to walk in the opposite direction. If I could put enough space between us then he could calm down and I could do the same. I could let time heal my wounds and all would be forgiven. His heavy footsteps behind me told me that this wouldn't be taking place. Not that night.

"Al!" He growled and his two big hands had me by the shoulders before I could thoroughly curse my wounded leg for making running impossible. I clenched my eyes shut and my inner panic button was smashed repeatedly. Human contact wasn't allowed! Carl was okay but no one else! No one!

"Fuckin' listen to me, Al."

ALERT!

"When ya told me ya weren't comin' along I din't know what to do. Yer my fuckin' responsibility."

DANGER!

"I freaked out an' I'm fuckin' sorry. What if ya lef' an' got hurt?"

DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

My eyelids were sealed together so tight that it hurt and there were all kinds of colorful shapes melding together behind them. "Let-" I opened my mouth to tell him to let go of me but I choked on my own words. My body was rigid. Frozen. My heart wouldn't pick a god damn beat to stick with. It was hammering and then it was stuttering to a stop and picking up a frantic beat again. If he didn't let go of me soon I was going to go into cardiac arrest.

I jerked as he whirled me around but I refused to open my eyes. My blood was pounding in my ears. He was still talking but I couldn't make out the words. Whatever he was saying he was calmer. I couldn't hear it. Didn't want to hear it. My mind was throwing up blank after blank and everything was starting to feel fuzzy. The world was one gigantic hum so loud that it felt like my bones were vibrating. Too much of it and it began to hurt.

I tried to open my mouth again to speak. To scream but I couldn't. Something was sealing it. Pushing at it with ferocity. It confused me. What the hell was wrong with me? In the back of my mind a word echoed and I grasped at it desperately to understand it's meaning. 'Lips.' Daryl's lips. He was kissing me.

That did it. My eyes flashed open and the world snapped back into place like a rubber band. He was kissing me and I hadn't even realized it! I was bewildered for a moment or five. I had no idea what to do. My mind was racing at a million miles per second until finally my instincts kicked in.

I bit down as hard as I could and Daryl jerked back with a pained grunt. His hands released me to cradle his mouth and he glared at me. "The fuck?" He exclaimed but I was quick about by next actions as he reached for me. I jerked my elbow upwards into his jaw, bit the arm that threatened to trap me, and hauled ass in the opposite direction. Gimp leg or not I ran for it. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed Glenn, jaw gaping and eyes wide, as I passed. I could have sworn I heard him mumble something along the lines of 'Damn..She got you good..' To Daryl before I was out of earshot.

I ran blindly. Where I was going I had no idea. Not the quarry. No that was too predictable. I needed somewhere different. Somewhere Daryl wouldn't think to look for me. 'The burial site.' The lightbulb went off above my head and I forced my legs to carry me there. I was gasping for breath by the time I made it.

I passed a few graves before my legs gave out and I collapsed beside a freshly buried corpse. I stared at the grave as I gulped in lungfuls of air greedily. My heart was still pounding. My hands shook around the notebook that I held tightly to my chest. Even my vision was shaky. I couldn't focus on anything and it began to give me a headache so I shut my eyes and rode my anxiety attack out.

Minutes felt like hours as the tension built within me in a never ending wave of tremors. I tried to force myself to relax by breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth like Dr. Kim had once instructed me to do but I was beyond her medical 'expertise' this time. I was just going to have to let it run it's course.

The key to calming myself was distraction and after I stopped dry heaving I slumped over and thought of anything pleasant that I could conjure up. Kittens. Rainbows. Noah's smiling face as he tried to catch up to me while I walked to school. He'd overslept. The quarry at sunset. I dragged the image back into my mind from earlier in the day and forced myself to focus on it. I dropped my notebook and keeled over, taking the grass into my fists and heaving up nothing but water and stomach acid onto the ground. Once that ended I coughed for while until I finally slumped onto my side, rolled onto my back, and stared at the starry sky.

'So many stars..' I thought as my eyelids drooped. 'So many..Stars..' It could have been my mind playing tricks on me but I thought I saw one shoot across the sky. I chuckled to myself, resting a hand on my chest. "Wish all you want. They won't come true."

I didn't even notice I'd passed out until I was being nudged awake. "Hey..Are you alright?"

...

**Oh dear lawdy that was one hell of a chapter don't you think? I don't know how I did it but it has been done! I can't wait to hear all of your opinions on this chapter because I'm really worried about this one. I'm crossing my fingers, guys! =D In the next chapter we're off to the CDC and Mute's not going to be happy. Oh, how I love to put this girl through hell over and over. It's pretty fun! HA! Ohh and who's the mystery person at the end of this chapter hmmm? You'll just have to wait and find out! Until then..MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!**

-MeRci.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary**: Holy crap I've managed to stretch episode five out for four fucking chapters! An impressive feat, I know! But it's come to an end with this one. The group has finally reached the CDC at long last and Daryl and Al are stuck together for the longest ride of Mute's life. How will they fare together? Read on and see! =D

**Disclaimer**: Blah blah blah Don't own right to TWD blahdy blah blah..Don't sue..

**Credits**: It's good to know the last chapter made you guys happy! I thank you all for the support and I hope you all follow Mute on her future adventures.

-Lucy Freebird: To answer you're queries. The reason her heart was going crazy was not because of the kiss. She was just having a panic attack. Thank you! I hope to be a good aunt to the kid even though I don't really like kids..Hahaha.

-Alex: Goodness you've managed to improve my outlook on my own writing. Like waiting for the next episode of your favorite show? I adore you! =D Hope you like this chapter. I worked hard on it just for you and the others! =D

-xXBXx: I'm sure you'll approve of what takes place in future chapters if you hope something happens to Shane. I'm still working on exactly what I'm going to write but it'll be good. I promise!

-Silver: HA! I'd hate to be on that roller coaster..Wait..I am! HA! Thanks for the support! =D

-Marc: Shane will get plenty. I assure you. XD

-ChildlikeEmpress: You'll have the answers to your questions soon enough. I know! But I wouldn't be able to say no to Carl either. He's just too freaking cute! Thank you!

-Itspeanutbutterjellytimex3: I hate cliffhangers too but writing them is so fun. XD Hope this update was fast enough for ya! =D

-MyMissingHalo: Hmmm. Good question. Possibly six feet? Within talking distance! XD Hahaha! I'm kind of disappointed that you didn't get to read it on the train and squeal in public. That would have been pretty funny but either way it made me smile. Nah. Carl doesn't have a crush on Mute..Maybe. I think he'd just be attached to her for the same reason you readers are! Al's the bomb diggity! XD

**Playlist choice**: Eye- Smashing pumpkins

...

Was I alright? I couldn't tell. The immense panic from before was gone. I was breathing evenly and I was no longer shaking but was I alright? Depended on who was asking. Which raised the question of who the hell was nudging me with, what felt like, a foot?

'Wait..That means..' Someone was touching me. I didn't open my eyes at first. Instead I rolled over onto my hands and knees and scurried away. Only once I felt like I'd put enough space between myself and the stranger did I take the opportunity to take in my surroundings. I had to force my eyes open. They felt like they'd been sealed shut with the grime polluting my lashes. I rubbed at them in agitation.

I was still at the burial site. It was morning. Early morning. The sun was just beginning to make it's debut over the horizon and the dew was still sparkling on the grass all around. It would have been beautiful to wake up to under any other circumstances. Even the silence was, in it's own way, a key factor in the whole peaceful picture.

My clothing was damp with dew, sticking to me. Or was it sweat? It would be too difficult to differentiate between the two liquids so I let it go. I plucked at my dress as I turned my head to face the one who'd woken me. 'Andrea?'

She was staring at me. Not in judgement but bleak understanding. As if she could see the appeal of slumbering with the dead. She was standing with her hands crossed over her chest and I could feel why. It was a bit chilly with it being so early. I could feel the slight bite in the air through my jacket. I shivered and stared right back. If she got too close I would be gone.

"Sorry if I scared you." She glanced down at the ground and her arms tightened around herself. She looked guilty of some crime. Remorse for startling me was written across her gorgeous features. I shook my head. I wasn't scared. It was just my natural instincts kicking in. Not that I could express this to her without breaking my silence.

Andrea let loose a small bit of nervous laughter and kicked at the dirt. "I didn't think anyone was out here. Especially not you." She said with a momentary widening of her eyes. As if she couldn't believe she was even out there in the burial site. It was odd, I could admit that. Why _was_ she out here?

"Just came to say goodbye.." She explained without me even having to ask the question and she moved towards me. I scooted back a little bit until I realized it wasn't me she was heading towards. Her eyes were fixated on the mound of dirt next to me and it was then that her intentions became clear. I was sitting right next to Amy's grave. I stilled.

She crouched slowly, her hands running down her legs to rest on her knees in a graceful movement. She took on the appearance of a star in that moment. She resembled a sorrowful angel with the few rays of sunlight bouncing off of her hair while her eyes brimmed with tears. The wound of losing her sister was still very fresh. Maybe it was a good thing that the group would be moving on. That way Andrea could not only physically move on but emotionally as well. If only that was true. The pain of losing someone so close was an eternal one. Years could pass and that particular wound would not heal. I should know. Of course I didn't have the heart to inform her of this. Better she learn it on her own and come to terms with it. Acceptance was harder done when conflicted with the thoughts and feelings of others. To deal with Noah's death I'd had to look inward to accept it. People deal with pain in their own ways. Mine was writing. Hers would only be known to her unless she decided to share it with another. No one could help her out of her pit of despair. She would have to dig and claw her own way out of it. Helping hands offered would only harm her in the end because they always let go at the critical moment.

"You must think I'm stupid." Andrea's gaze was steady on the grave but I couldn't bear to stare at her for too long. I had to look away. I could still vividly recall the sudden gunshot that had announced Amy's passing. I'd heard so many of them since the world had gone to shit but that one was the easiest to dredge up. It was a shot of agony. One of loss and sentiment in my mind. I was allowed to witness the single hardest thing for one to do and I would hold on to that memory for as long as I could.

Stupid? No. I could never think such a thing. I could see myself in her position. Placing oneself in the shoes of others was a real eye opener in most situations. If anything I encouraged her behavior. It proved that she still had a soul and so many people these days were lacking those. It was a travesty.

I shook my head and the look on her face was gratitude. Complete and utter appreciation that I wasn't passing poor judgment onto her. I couldn't imagine anyone doing it. Maybe Shane but he was just a douche so it would be expected. 'Fuckin' douche..' I was still sore over him reading through my shit. Who wouldn't be?

Andrea heaved a heavy sigh that hitched in the end, wiped a few tears away, and glanced to the rising sun. It was getting higher and higher with each passing second. A signal to both of us that the group would be heading out soon. Everyone had to already have been up and packing their things for the last hour. I was thankful for my extra sleep but it was probably a good thing Andrea had happened upon me or I might have slept through it all and been left behind. 'Fat chance. Daryl would tie me up in my sleep and drag me along behind his truck..' It was fact. Not opinion. I scowled as the memories of the night before forced themselves into the forefront of my mind.

"We should probably head back, huh?" She was trying so hard not to cry and she refused to look back down at the grave. I nodded and she rose. I stopped to pick up my forgotten notebook. The cover was slippery and damp. I wiped it off with the sleeve of my jacket with affection and gripped it tightly while Andrea headed off without me. I didn't mind. In fact I waited a minute or two before wandering back by myself.

Camp was bustling with activity when I arrived. No one looked ready for the transfer in location and some looked downright exhausted and slightly irritable about the early schedule. But there was a collective need to relocate and fast. Ever since the walker attack on camp everyone had been on edge. Looking for the next point of vulnerability and fearing what it may bring down upon them all. No one wanted to point it out but every single person would spare the treeline a glance every once in a while.

The treeline. I eyed it as well. There was no telling what could come out of those woods at any moment. A handful of undead? A hoard? All looking to rip each and every one of us to shreds and devour us like twinkies. I still found the chances better in the wilderness than the overpopulated city. Plus in the not so great outdoors there was less of a chance of friendly fire from fellow survivors in need of supplies or simply looking for a 'good time' like some I'd heard about. The only conflict we really had to worry about were the ones within the group. The outside forces were a close second in that race though.

I scanned the area for Daryl. He was nowhere in sight. The tent was gone as well as my belongings and though it irked me I imagined they were in with the rest of the group's collective belongings somewhere. I had my most important item safely in my hands where no one could peer at it's contents unless they had X-ray vision. I would never allow it out of my sight again. My other notebooks were important to me but not nearly as much. This one was far more personal than the others.

I decided to stand by idly until every car, truck, and RV was packed up, ready to go, and had their riders scattered around. Shane and Rick took authoritative stances before them and delivered instructions in order to stay together.

"Everybody listen up!" The small amount of chatter going on amongst members was immediately dispersed and rifle boy had everyone's attention. Aside from mine. I was scanning faces, reading expressions, and calculating options. Carl and Lori looked intent sitting on the hood of an old looking car that I couldn't name. Sitting next to Carl was my bag. Andrea and T-dog leaned against a van. I avoided Andrea's gaze as much as possible. I was still reeling from her emotional goodbye to her sister. Carol, her daughter, and the latino family all stood off to the side. Then I saw Daryl in the mix. His lip was swollen but that was it. He didn't even look too angry. He was always angry but looking at him then I didn't see as much as his usual dose of daily fury staring back at me when he caught my gaze and locked onto it with an expression I couldn't place.

"Those of you with CB's. We'll be on channel forty. You guys keep the chatter down, okay?" What was there to talk about? It wasn't like a school field trip where everyone would be discussing their plans for the weekend.

"Now, you got a problem and don't have a CB or can't get a signal or anything you're gonna hit your horn one time. We'll stop the caravan." Shane paused. "Any questions?" I managed to tear my eyes off of Daryl just as he did the same to wipe some sweat from his brow. I noticed he'd changed his clothing. He must have bled on the one he'd been wearing the night before. I barely even spared a glance to the bite on his arm that I couldn't really get a good look at in the first place. Glenn's eyes were glued to it on the other hand.

"We're uh.." The Latino man spoke up with hesitancy. "We're not going." He explained in reference to himself and his family. 'Good choice. You'll probably live longer than any of us.' I looked to Carl and second guessed my decision for the hundredth time. Damn him for being so fucking cute.

Suddenly Shane no longer had the group's attention. The spotlight was shining on the family of those who's names I'd never bothered to learn. "We have family in Burmingham. We wanna be with our people." The wife squeezed her daughter around the shoulders with a loving arm. Rattler was quick to jump on it.

"Yer on yer own and you won't have anyone to watch yer back." Beside him, his doting wife, Rick was staring at the ground. Guess he didn't have anything to say. Not like anyone had a choice but to nod along. It was their decision to go just like mine had been until I'd signed my death certificate and hopped onto the crazy train.

"We'll take the risk." Was the husband and father's reply. "I've got to do what's best for _my_ family." He put emphasis on the word and it made me question who'd come up with the idea. The man or the woman.

Rick finally spoke up. "You sure?" Like no one was allowed to have an opinion that opposed his or Shane's. Why were the others so quick to try to talk someone down from a decision and change their minds? It was confusing. "Yeah. We've talked about it." The Latino looked to his wife who confirmed it with a nod. "We're sure."

Rick looked stunned but nodded. "Alright." Then he motioned to Shane who complied and they both bent down and rifled through the bag of guns they'd retrieved from the city. Rick gave the family a handgun that I couldn't identify because I was standing too far off to the side to see properly. With it he gave them a half a box of ammo and the scoff that came from the group was obviously Daryl. I knew it before I even saw the look of 'I can't believe this shit' on his face as he gave an irate pace.

Lori hopped off of her place on the hood and embraced the Latino woman. A gesture of farewell. I couldn't imagine the two women ever being close. I'd never even seen the two interact before that moment but it was nice of her all the same. She even kissed the children on the foreheads while Shane shook hands with the husband and wished him luck. There was hugging and farewells all around. Even between children and Rick made sure to say "Channel forty in case you change your minds" As he too shook the husband's hand. Then the family was wandering away and Shane leaned in to talk to his wife.

"What makes you think our odds are any better?" He asked before giving the go ahead to the group. "Let's go! Let's move out!" and all the survivors went to their respective vehicles. All but me who stood there watching. In that moment I felt kind of alone. Not in the same way as I'd been feeling for most of my life but in a different sense. Before the outbreak I'd had places I belonged with a set list of people around me. I had the workplace and I had 'home' but here I had nothing at all. Everyone else had the people and vehicles in which they 'belonged'. I was the one who stood alone in her ripped dress, dirty bleach-stained jacket, and filthy shoes with a wounded shoulder and leg while she held a worn notebook to her chest.

Through the air ripped a high pitched whistle. One I'd heard the neighbors at one time use to call their dog. "What'cha jus' standin' there for?" I looked to see Daryl hanging onto the open door of an old pickup truck with a nice motorcycle in the bed and impatience written across his features. Impatience and a bit of smug satisfaction. "Din't ya hear the man? S' time to go." He jerked his head in the direction of the passengers seat. 'Of course.' So I did have a place. Unfortunately it was in the same vehicle as the man who'd sent me into a major panic attack a few hours previous. 'Better than nothing?' I was surprised that it was more of a question in my mind than a sound fact. Also, what was with the smug look on his face? Like he knew I was going.

My steps were cautious and my eyes were on my feet as I slowly approached the vehicle. Only when I was near enough to Mr. Crossbow to notice that he didn't stink as bad as he had the day before did I look up. He had an eyebrow arched and his foot was tapping. Had he forgotten all about the night's events? The swollen lip would be enough to remind me. It was a wonder how he even managed to whistle with that thing. "Well?" He rested a hand on his hip. "Ya comin' 'er not?" He asked.

'Right..I didn't tell him..' I remembered and looked back down at my feet again. I couldn't give him the satisfaction of him thinking I'd changed my mind for any other reason than a certain kid that could probably make me jump off a cliff if he asked me to. I looked over my shoulder to see Carl climbing into the car, my bag with him beside his mother and sighed. "Not for you." I grumbled and shot Mr. Crossbow a glare before shuffling around to the other side of the truck and hoisting myself up into the passenger seat. It was a bit difficult with my leg but I managed well enough. It wasn't until I was comfortably seated that Daryl swung up behind the wheel and started the truck up. He didn't look too happy but he didn't say a word. It was going to be one hell of a long drive.

The first few minutes were the worst. The silence wasn't the problem. That I could handle like a pro because it was the game I'd been playing since childhood but I could have cut the tension with a fucking knife. As I pressed myself as close to the door as possible to maintain some sort of space between Daryl and myself I would toss a glance to the driver every minute or so. He looked anxious. Like he had something he wanted to say but wasn't willing to say it for all of the zombie kills on the planet. Either that or he was constipated. I couldn't figure out which one and the latter was becoming entirely too possible up until the point where he got fed up with the quiet and flipped on the radio. Then I had to suffer something even worse than the tension. Country music. My lifetime nemesis. I had half a mind to jump out of the moving vehicle.

Songs about heartbreak. Songs about cowboys. Even a song about a woman finding a tractor sexually appealing raped my ears as we drove along. I tried to ignore it by focusing on the scenery but eventually that became a chore as we entered civilization once more. Houses abandoned. Streets empty. There were even children's bicycles tipped over onto their sides forgotten. Some had bloodstains on various parts of the bikes. It was like the entire world was one big empty never ending neighborhood. The same scenes played out before me until I got tired of it.

Even the painful jarring in my leg was more tolerable than the nonsense I was being forced to listen to and the depressing sights. It was a tune about American pride that was playing when suddenly the caravan began to slow down and finally came to a stop. Daryl sighed and dropped his hands from the wheel as he punched the truck into park. "The fuck'r we stoppin' for?" He grumbled to himself.

A few people left their respective vehicles to see what was up and even Daryl got curious and opened his door. He stopped, looked back at me, and mumbled "Stay here." Before exiting the truck and slamming the door behind him. Just to spite him I was tempted to get out and go find Carl to see if I could ride with him. Unfortunately that would have the downside of also having to endure Rick and Lori's combined presence. 'I'd rather stick with the country music and the aggressive hick.'

A few minutes later he came back and with a huff informed me that the RV's belt busted. Then he followed that up by mumbling something about Jim on the verge of turning. 'Two pieces of good news within less than ten minutes? That sure bodes well for the rest of this journey' I thought with heavy sarcasm. As Daryl stared at the dirt I could see he was thinking hard about something.

"Al." He didn't look up when he spoke which made me uncomfortable enough as it was. Just hearing him say my name made me want to kick him in the balls. Instead I acknowledged him by inclining my head in the slightest. He lifted his arm and inspected it before stepping closer to the passenger side door. I shifted and scooted over in the seat to warn him that he was too close and he stopped, frustration crossing his features in a flash before he calmed again. Well, as calm as Mr. Crossbow could ever be. Had he learned his lesson?

"Did'ja bite Shane?" He asked. I went still. Damn. In my panicked state I hadn't thought that Daryl would suspect anything of my bite but in hindsight I shouldn't have bitten him. I didn't want Daryl to know for some reason. Maybe I didn't want Mr. Crossbow taking the 'keeper' thing too far and getting protective of me. Maybe I didn't want the rest of the survivors to know what had happened the night before. Maybe I was just tired of all the god damn fighting within the group and didn't want to deal with the shit. Either way I didn't answer him. I stared at the dashboard with my best poker face and hoped he took it as a 'no'.

Instead he took it as a 'hound me some more until I cave' because he took another step towards the truck. "Al, did he do someth-" He chanced a glance back to the group and cursed as distraction hit him in the face. Rick had gathered some of the others and looked deathly serious. There was no doubt in my mind that it had something to do with Jim. Had he turned? Was he about to? Was there going to be more violence?

"Shit.." Daryl seemed torn between questioning me further and finding out what was going on. Of course it didn't take long before the latter won out and he pointed a finger at me. "Hold that thought." He muttered and sauntered back over to the group. I stayed put and hoped I wouldn't be hearing any gunshots any time soon.

I watched while they all talked amongst themselves thankfully out of earshot. I didn't want to hear anything about their plans for Jim. I'd already witnessed enough. I just wanted a break from all of the excitement. I was trying to heal, god damn it. I didn't need to stress about everyone else all the fucking time.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what was happening though because Shane and Rick disappeared into the RV for a minute or two and when they came back out they were supporting Jim between the two of them and escorted him to a tree a little ways off the road. I didn't fully understand what was going on but I was getting a pretty good idea. Jim was being left behind.

They were gentle as the men rested Jim against the trunk and stepped back. The rest of the group gathered around and I nibbled on the inside of my cheek. They all looked so upset. Aside from Daryl's each face read the same. Grief. Remorse. The same things that I'd been seeing in faces from the start of this whole damn thing. Happy, smiling faces were rare to find and needed to be kept safe in the memory lest they be forgotten.

I could see the goodbyes begin and one by one Shane, the black woman, Rick, and Dale all said their goodbyes. None of them dragged it out and I could see Jim smile every now and again. He looked content with what was happening. Of course it had to end sometime and soon the group retreated. All but one. Daryl lingered with his crossbow. I could only see his back so I couldn't know what he was thinking or doing but Jim was staring directly at him. Finally he too started to back away but Jim called to him to get his attention just before he wandered too far.

I frowned as Jim looked my way and raised a weak hand to wave. I looked down, ashamed. Why would he even bother to acknowledge me in his last moments? I was no one special. I didn't deserve it.

...

Daryl POV:

I din't feel nothin' in particular 'bout the situation with Jim. He'd been useful but I wasn't sad to see him go. He'd gotten himself bit an' I was glad he was bein' left. It was better than keepin' him 'round 'till the last possible second an' puttin' lives at risk. We needed all the manpower we could get an' we couldn't risk losin' 'nother so soon.

But I at least offered him the respect of attendin' his last moments of social behavior 'fore his ass would be left fer good. I was taken off guard, though, when I made to leave an' he called me back. I turned with a frown an' watched as he offered Al a wave of farewell. The fuck did he need to say to me that was so important? I din't even know him an' I even tried to kill him.

"What?" I asked with a glance over my shoulder. Everyone was gettin' back in there vehicles an' I was ready to go. I din't like bein' in such an exposed area. 'Specially not with the woods right behind ol' Jim where plenty of walkers could be lurkin'.

"That girl." Jim looked back to my pickup and I nodded. What 'bout her? "What's her name?" He asked. I was knocked fer a loop. Al asked me not to tell anyone her name and even though I wasn't happy with her I couldn't deny one of her few requests could I? 'He's dyin'. She ain't gonna know..' I sighed. Shit. "Allison." I muttered.

Jim closed his eyes for a minute an' let out a couple of coughs that looked painful as hell with the way he flinched an' wrapped an arm 'round his middle. He had to be in agony. "Allison.." He repeated an' opened his eyes again. "Tell her I'm sorry for scaring her that first day." I looked back over my shoulder to Al who was starin' at the dash again with that same ol' blank stare. That thousand yard stare that got me every fuckin' time. I ran my tongue over my swollen lip an' nodded.

"And.." Jim inhaled a shaky breath an' smiled at me in a way that might have given me goosebumps if not fer the heat. It wasn't creepy or anythin'. It was jus' too sincere. "Watch out for her, will you?"

...

Mute POV:

My paranoia was running wild as my imagination got the best of me. What could Jim and Daryl have to say to one another? Mr. Crossbow had been ready to kill Jim. Had even attempted to but there he was making small talk and giving a goodbye? And what was with the way Jim kept looking over at me?

I tried to play it off like I wasn't paying attention but anyone who watched me for any extended period of time would catch me glancing over every few seconds and then back to the dashboard. I was curioss.

A minute or two was all it took before Daryl was heading back to the truck, eyes on his feet and the others getting back into their vehicles. Anywhere but me, I noticed. Jim was staring at the sky. I could see him imagining god hiding in the clouds. He looked like the religious type. Maybe he'd find peace soon. If he got lucky some wandering person might shoot him in the head to save him the trouble of going through with the turning. Not much of a chance of that happening though.

The driver's side door creaked as Daryl opened it and hoisted himself up with ease. He set his crossbow down and started the pickup silently and we were thrown back into the awkward environment with country music as the only background noise. A man and a woman sang about whiskey lullabies as the caravan started up and I watched Jim until we were out of sight. It was odd how Jim, bitten and dying, was far more at ease with his situation than I was with mine. It really made me feel like my problems weren't significant to even be called problems. More like small annoyances.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then I stopped bothering to keep track all together because it was making things drag on even more. Up until that point I'd been counting the seconds in my head one by one as trees whipped passed. It was a never ending scene of the same shit over and over.

"Ya never answered my question." I was beginning to doze when Daryl spoke up and my head jerked as I snapped myself awake with a jolt. What was he talking abo- 'Oh. That. Shit..' I'd forgotten about the conversation earlier after the distraction of Jim's abandonment had put me a little at ease. I hadn't expected Mr. Crossbow to remember it either. Or I was putting some kind of hope in the idea of it.

I didn't say a word. Instead I turned my gaze back to the open window and enjoyed the wind blowing my hair all over the place. It was already a rat's nest and I never cared anything for it so what would it hurt? It felt nice. Such a simple thing in life and it was free for us to enjoy yet so many of us took it for granted. Like the sun warming my face. Or the lack of walkers being sighted on the drive. Not a single one.

"C'mon, Al. I ain't stupid. Shane's got a bite on his arm like mine an' ya think I ain't gonna notice the similarities? Ya may've got him worse but I don't see no one else havin' a reason to sink their teeth into his arm." I glanced over to see Mr. Crossbow analyzing the mark I'd left and I scrunched my nose up. He could make all the assumptions he wanted to but I wasn't going to confirm if he was right or wrong. Playing dumb was something I'd picked up high school. I'd observed many of my classmates, mostly female, doing this and used it to get out of a few situations. Some of them might not have been 'playing dumb' but it was a skill I'd perfected none the less by watching them. When people think you're too stupid to comprehend what's going on around you they leave you alone a little more. I tightened my grip on my notebook. Bullies, though, were a different story. They were persistent little fuckers.

Daryl turned his head to look at me. "Al. Were you down at the quarry that night? What were ya doin' down there? Did he do somethin'?" I was reminded of an overbearing parent with his line of questioning but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I yawned, rested my elbow on the window, and settled my chin in my hand. 'Uninteresting. If you're going to pester me by talking could you at least choose an intriguing topic?'I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." Mr. Crossbow grumbled. "Don't tell me." I ignored the implied threat of 'I'll find out on my own' and pretended that the truck was driving itself. I wasn't going to be little miss nice girl after the shit he'd pulled during the night. He'd sent me into full on panic mode and then thought he could act like everything was normal? No way in hell.

Through sappy lyrics and all I persevered and managed to keep what little was left of my sanity during the drive that felt like it would never end. Every time we'd pass an empty patch filled with nothing but trees I would expect to see Jim because it felt like we were driving in circles after a while. That's just how similar the surroundings were. I eventually dozed off.

..

"Al? .. Hey, Al! Ya listening?" I jerked as Noah's familiar voice broke through my thoughts. "Huh?" I looked to him with a bewildered expression. I couldn't remember for the life of me what he'd been talking about.

It was Saturday around noonish. Somewhere around one in the afternoon and Noah and I had taken a stroll to the lake. It was his idea at first and I'd been reluctant to go because the forecast that morning had predicted rain. After a full twenty minutes of bugging me half to death I'd agreed to go along and I was glad I had. There were a few clouds off in the distance but one look at the sky confirmed that there wouldn't be rain for a while. Maybe sometime during the night.

Two thirds of the way there I'd decided to chase him the rest of the way and threatened him with a gesture that ensured I would tickle the ever loving shit out of him if I could him. It got him hauling ass towards the bank but once he got there he'd stopped in his tracks assuming he was safe. That was a false assumption.

Once I was within reach I tackled him into the water and began tickling him even as we both struggled in the hip-high water. Noah screamed with laughter and tried his hardest to push my hands away but I managed to keep it up for a while. He was gasping for air and holding his sides by the time I let him go free with a satisfied smirk.

"What was that for?" He tossed a playful glare at me over his shoulder and I grinned. "Being a pest!" I stuck my tongue out at him and he did the same before splashing me in the face. That only turned into a battle of who could splash the other more and then we wrestled around for bit until we grew tired and rested on the bank and dried in the sun's warm glow.

"I SAID I think I'm going to try to study plants when I grow up." I raised my eyebrows and put on a thoughtful expression. It was odd for someone so young to dream of being something like that when they got older. The usual dreams of children were cowboys, cops, and astronauts. I came to one conclusion. I had an odd brother.

"I was asking you what you thought of it?" He pulled his knees up to his chest and folded his arms atop them. He'd gotten into the habit after seeing me do it so many times. In fact, he used to copy me move for move in his youngest years. He used to say he wanted to be just like me when he got big.

I shrugged. " Thought you wanted to be me when you grew up." I laughed and ruffled his hair at which he groaned. I stretched my legs out and placed my hands behind me in the soft grass to support my torso.

"I can't be you. You're you so the job is already taken." Noah replied. "But I want to be LIKE you." He clarified. I nodded and wiggled my toes. "Well. I think your dream job sounds pretty cool. But you'll have to work really hard in school." I stared at the water's reflective surface. The light from the sun was bouncing around on it like it was dancing.

Noah sighed. "Yeah. I don't like school, though." He huffed. I arched an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "I wish it didn't exist." He said. "It would be cooler if everyday could be just like this. Then we could come here every day and play and we wouldn't have to worry about anything else." He glanced back towards the house and I caught onto his meaning fairly quick.

Things at home had been rocky as of late. Mom and dad were arguing more and more it seemed and even though they tried to keep it discreet Noah and I heard most of it through our walls late at night. They argued about a lot of things. Us, money, and the lack of communication were the most brought up. But I was trying to keep an optimistic outlook on things. My motto was 'everything will be fine'.

"Oh, yeah?" I scooted closer to my kid brother and rested an arm around his shoulder. His head immediately lolled onto my shoulder and I began running my fingers through his hair as usual. It was getting pretty long. Not having been cut in over a year he had curly ringlets around his neck. "That would be nice.." I mumbled and he hummed in agreement.

"But..If every day was perfect then we wouldn't have any reason to look back on our good memories and we'd lose them. We'd take life for granted. So if you think about it the parts of life that aren't fun are just as important because they make you realize what you have when you're having fun is something precious to look forward to and to hold on to." I mumbled as I toyed with a particularly long lock of auburn hair and watched a droplet of water run down my finger, onto my hand, and down my arm until it dropped off onto the ground.

Noah sighed and lifted his head to look me in the face. He was silent and his eyes searched my face before he smiled. "Sis..That's exactly why I wanna be like you." He said and in the moment I forgot everything I'd just said. "Wait..Why?" I asked and Noah erupted into laughter while he pointed at me. I tried my best to remember what I'd said but I'd been lost in thought when I'd said it so I couldn't recall it all that well. 'Damn it!'

Noah got up and shook his head. "Let's head back. I'm hungry." He said but I was still lost. "Hey!" I exclaimed and scrambled to my feet. "You have to tell me what I said!" I called after him but he was laughing at me and broke into a jog. I growled and bolted after him. "You little pest get back here!" I shouted after him. We raced all the way back to the house. That night it rained cats and dogs and Noah had crawled into my bed because my room was the furthest from mom and dad's yelling. That was the night dad left.

...

I awoke to the most pungent stench of death I'd yet to experience. Even the burn pit of bodies paled in comparison. It was the scent of old death. Rotting bodies having sat there for weeks on end in the baking sun.

"Al.." I knew that voice. I groaned and hid my nose in the crook of my arm hoping to escape the god awful smell but it did no good. "Al. Wake up. Were here." I cracked my eyes open. Where was 'here'? Hell's gates? The river stix? It sure as fuck smelled like it.

The sun's glare had me squinting as I looked around. No wonder it smelled so terrible. We were there alright. The CDC. And outside it was a fucking wasteland. A massacre sight. There were bodies lined up all the way to the front doors of the building which looked like miles away. Why the hell had we chosen to stop so far off? I would have parked as close as possible in case a speedy getaway was required.

I sat up and turned my gaze away and rubbed my eyes. Daryl was holding his crossbow already and had his hand on the door handle. He sure was ready to move. "C'mon." He jerked his head and I frowned. I couldn't see any walkers around but I didn't feel safe leaving the vehicle. What if we suddenly got swarmed? I gulped and bit my lip. 'Damn it. I'm already here. Might as well go along.' I sighed and stared at the door handle. It was now or never.

"Stay close." Were Mr. Crossbows last words before he opened his door and hopped out. I followed as everyone else did and we began towards the looming building. I had to cover my nose as I went along and even though I didn't feel safe I still kept a good bit of distance from the rest of the group and maintained my own pace. I could barely even hear Rick tell everyone to stay quiet. I wouldn't have a problem with that.

Blood was everywhere and body parts were strewn across the pavement. An army of flies buzzed and their constant loud humming flooded my ears in a symphony of repulse. I had to swat at them because a few would get in my line of vision and distract me from my task of making it to the front doors and manage to keep an eye on everything around me at the same time.

We moved quickly. Weapons at the ready and sense on high alert. A few people mimicked my actions by covering their mouths and noses and once in a while someone would cough or gag on the stench polluting the air. Even Daryl had a rag to filter some of the smell and he wasn't even repulsed by his own body odor. That went to show just how repugnant the smell course after a few seconds he shoved the rag into his back pocket to properly hold his shotgun at the ready. Toting both the gun and his crossbow I felt like he would be the safest one to stick next to if shit went downhill.

"Stay together. Keep movin'." Rick and Shane made sure to remind us all. Like anyone had the balls to wander off alone. I sure as fuck didn't. In fact the longer we went along the closer I got to the group while tossing glances every which way.

Faster and faster we walked until finally we reached an entrance. I was watching everything as Shane began pounding on the gate to get someone's attention. The place looked abandoned to me but I was scared to let that thought sink too far into my mind. It would only make me panic and I was doing a hell of a job of keeping calm in such a dangerous circumstance. I was a little proud of myself.

"There's nobody here." The black man voiced my fears before I could smother them and I flinched. Even from my few feet of distance from the group it sounded like he was talking directly in my ear. 'I fucking knew it. I shouldn't have come. I'm going to die here.' I shuddered as my mind went wild with all of the gruesome possibilities that could come of this.

"Then why are the shutters down?" Rick asked. Stupid question. Like someone couldn't have put them down before they died? For all we knew the undead could have gotten into the place after those inside had tried to shut them all out and everyone inside could be dead or zombified and waiting for us.

Then Daryl shouted the one word I was hoping not to hear while we were so exposed and my reaction to it was instantaneous.

"Walkers!" I clenched my eyes shut. I didn't want to see the hoard. I also didn't want to see them while they tore me to pieces. If I was going to die it was going to be with my eyes fucking shut so I could imagine Noah's face in my last moments.

I heard the sound of Daryl's crossbow and the squish of a zombie headshot followed by the redneck's shout of anger. "You led us into a fuckin' graveyard." My sarcasm wasn't needed so I spared the 'DUH! I could've told you that!' and tried to focus on Noah. That's all I needed. Noah. Noah. Noah. Noah.

"We made a call." Was Rick's reply but it didn't help Daryl's anger at all. "It was the wrong damn choice!" He shouted back. Then there was shuffling of feet and Rattler was in on it. "Shut up. Ya here me? Just shut up!" He was defending his wife, of course. Couldn't they focus on the more important matter? There were zombies! This wasn't the time to bickering. I started to grind my teeth as I put a death grip on my notebook. My knuckles must have been turning white with the force I was holding onto it with.

"Rick this is a dead end." Shane admitted and the only word that really stuck out to me in his statement was 'dead'. Oh, yeah. We were all dead. Fucking dead. "Do you hear me?" From the back of the group Carol shouted that we needed to go. It was the truth. If we could just get back to the vehicles we could get the fuck out of there. Unless there were too many walkers. Then even that would be futile and we'd all die running.

"She's right. We shouldn't be this close to the city after dark." Lori was speaking up now and I was glad my eyes were closed so I didn't have to see the look of terror on Carl's face. That was not the way I wanted to see him before I died.

"Fort Benning, Rick. It's still an option." Shane was breathing heavy. "On what? With no fuel that's a hundred miles." I couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. Everything was going into slow motion and my jaw hurt from me grinding my teeth so fucking hard.

"Who cares about Fort Benning? We need answers for tonight. For now!" Rick tried to calm his wife but everyone had made up their minds. Footsteps indicated that everyone was moving back to their cars. I opened my eyes to see them all retreating. I looked around and despair punched me in the face in the form of the lowering sun. There was very little light left but there was enough for Rick to spot a camera on the side of the building just as the others began to retreat.

"The camera! It moved" He pointed to the piece of technology like it would be our saving grace. The others stopped and though Shane said something about Rick imagining it Rick was hopeful. "It moved.." He mumbled again and approached it, eyes wide and full of faith. Shane tried to pull him away but Rick was too persistent for him. Through Shane's urgency of the camera being nothing more than false hope Rick pushed past him and pounded on the door.

"Rick! There's nobody here!" Lori shouted but Rick stared up at the camera. "I KNOW you're in there!" He exclaimed. " I KNOW you can hear me! Please! We're desperate! Please help us! We have women and children and hardly any gas left!" Like anyone knowing that would willingly open their doors. It was a nice try, though.

Lori darted in front of her husband and tried to push him backwards. To urge him back towards the cars but he wouldn't go. He was determined not to let us all die out there and though it was a respectable quality stupidity wasn't. "We have nowhere else to go! Please!"

I looked away for a moment and realized that going back to the vehicles now was too late. There were walkers coming in from all directions. 'Oh..Shit..' I clenched my eyes shut again as Shane told everyone to keep them peeled. There was more shouting and everyone was retreating again but it was only thanks to someone grabbing me by the hand that had me moving.

"Al! Move it!" I felt rooted to the ground as Daryl shouted at me and began to drag me off. All I could hear was Rick screaming at the top of his lungs. "YOU'RE KILLING US! YOU'RE KILLING US!" I could taste blood and realized I'd been chewing on the inside of my cheek for the last few minutes. So hard that there were chunks of flesh missing and it was throbbing.

Then something happened. There was light. Artificial light flooded out of the building, illuminating the area, and everyone froze. Someone had heard his cries after all and they were letting us in? I stilled in shock and I barely even registered that Daryl still had a murderous grip on my hand. We weren't going to die?

'Not today, death..Not today.'

...

**WHOOOO! They made it to the CDC, ya'll! Finally! And I was thinking of killing Mute off a few chapters ago. HA! In the next chapter there might be some more mention of those bites on Shane's and Daryl's arms and there's going to be bit of unwinding time. I think the group needs it, don't you? Oh, and I hope you all liked the little peek into Al's past! Well for now I need to rest my tired brain. Until next time! Much love!**

-MeRci.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary**: Hi all! Welcome to chapter twelve! It's been a long journey but the group has finally made it to the CDC and it's time for these weary survivors to kick back while they can. We've got Mute cooking spaghetti and Daryl's got his Southern Comfort. I know I promised more talk of the bites on Shane and Daryl but I've decided to hold on to that for the next chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own right to TWD or any of it's characters.

**Credits**: Whhooo! Another round of awesome reviews by my favorite people on the planet! Yippeee! =D

-xXBXx: I know it was sad but at least we all know that Jim isn't suffering anymore. Even though I would have liked to see his character develop a little more it was better that he died instead of someone else. Of course I wouldn't have been opposed to Shane kicking the bucket. XD

-Lucy Freebird: Aww I'm sorry I made you worry but guess what. You don't need to fret because Mute's going to be sticking around for a while to come. I have lots of ideas of where to go with this =D

-FellowEarthGirl: I know what you mean. I had to watch every episode of this show a million times over to get the dialog for it because I can't find the script anywhere! Glad you like it!

-itspeanutbutterjellytimex3: I hope the wait wasn't too long for you. Hey! No exploding or else you won't be able to read the next chapters. Plus that would me messy to clean up XD

-PoetKnowit20: Arggghhh! You're killing me. Every time I read one of your reviews I 'awwww'. Every. Single. Time! XD Well I'm sure you won't be disappointed with chapter thirteen once I get it typed out. I really hope I don't blank out and take forever with it. Feels like I did that with this one and I'm sorry.

-MyMissingHalo: As is per the usual I ate your review up like delicious candy! =D I apologize that I didn't update this time as quickly as I did with the last chapter. I am genuinely remorseful but at least it posted now! =D hahaaa I won't kill Mute. Not for some time to come. I promise!

**Playlist choice**: no song this time around. Couldn't find one to match the feeling of this chapter.

...

"Goddammit, Al if ya don' move yer ass I swear to god!" Life had gone into super slow motion. It was as if, in my panic, I'd slipped into some dream world. Even Daryl's face, twisted into frustration and anger, blurred and shifted as I stared. My life had taken on the appearance of a twisted movie in some ways. The voices were the same just slowed down and it wasn't like watching normal life movements. I was catching flashes of images. One moment the door was open with it's artificial light setting everything aglow then it was closer and everyone was taking steps towards it. Another flash and I was shoved. Hard. I caught myself before I went face first into the pavement. Then another flash and I was right in front of the door behind the black woman. I closed my eyes and shook my head in hopes to clear my own mangled thoughts. I didn't like it. Was it the adrenaline?

"The fuck is wrong with ya?" I opened my eyes at Daryl's question and suddenly life snapped back into place like a rubber band at high velocity. I was slammed back into reality and normal time as I stepped into the building. It was a horrible experience that left me dizzy and reeling. So much so that I immediately found a wall and settled my back against it with my hands pressed firmly to my forehead and mouth to keep from vomiting. Dear god, what the fuck WAS wrong with me? Daryl had read my mind. That fact didn't help the queasy feeling that had my stomach churning and tying itself into itty bitty knots.

"Hello?" Rick looked around as the rest of the survivors flooded in trying to find the person who'd allowed us to enter the building. Behind me the doors were locked again and then everyone was looking around at the huge building's insides and it was immense. Just this first room was big enough to house a small army.

Weapons were cocked for action and raised as the tiniest of commotions caught the attention of the group. I glanced in the direction of the sound prepared to see zombies or a group of savage survivors willing to tear us apart to get what little we had that could be called 'supplies.'

Instead there was a single man. Not very intimidating at all aside from the firearm he was sporting like a scared child. Of average height and weight of an adult man he was nothing special. Blonde with shifty eyes he looked just as paranoid as I felt. Had he been expecting the same of us that I had of him?

"Is anyone infected?" He shouted from his safe distance. I watched his eyes flicker from one face to another. He barely even glanced at me even though I was acting rather strange. I had no doubt that I looked sick as all shit. I'd have been suspicious of me. Then again I was suspicious of everyone.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick gulped heavily. His chest was heaving with the stress of the last few minutes. We weren't condemned. Not yet. It would take some time before that realization would settle into everyone's minds. We were safe for the time being. It was a foreign experience. Our reactions were..Acceptable.

The stranger took a few steps forward but he didn't lower his weapon. A sure sign that he wasn't willing to trust a single one of us. Not even the small children. "Why are you here? What do you want?" The two questions were spoken so fast that they sounded like one. Wasn't it obvious? We were there because there was no place left to go. We wanted safety. We wanted shelter. We wanted food. Most of all we wanted peace of mind.

Rick's answer was just as good. "A chance." He spoke shakily and the stranger didn't miss a beat. "That's asking a lot these days." He answered. A lot of things were asking a lot these days. Including asking for trust or even a crumb of food or a singular shotgun shell to be spared.

Rick's gaze faltered and he took a shaky breath. "I know." And then there was silence as the man eyed us all individually again. This time it appeared that he was weighing his chances. Possibly picking out the ones he could take out the fastest if any one of us moved too fast or gave him a look that he didn't deem safe. When his gaze settled on me for the second time it lingered for a second or two longer than the first. I could see him analyzing my dreadful appearance in those few seconds.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." He said firmly. It was fair enough and Rick agreed. I didn't. For one I didn't like needles and for two it would mean I'd have to let the guy close enough to stick said needle in my arm. "We can do that." He nodded. It was a damn good thing this would be starting off on the right foot. At least none of us had anything to hide so that would spur a bit of trust in us in the man. To know that someone hasn't lied to you is a huge weight off of ones shoulders and it becomes easier to get close. I wish I'd had a chance like that in the world with any of the people I'd met. Carl was the one person since Noah that I'd been able to trust. Daryl had blown his shot at it the second he'd taken aim with his trusty crossbow at my face.

Finally the man lowered his weapon and his next words were spoken as quickly as his questions earlier. "You have stuff to bring in you do it now. Once that door closes it stays closed." And with that everyone went scrambling for the door.

The next few minutes were filled with the hustle and bustle of people coming in and out with their various bags of possessions. I stayed where I was while Daryl exited to get his bags. The only thing I needed was my notebook and it was still firmly clutched in my hands. Somewhere, though, I'd dropped my pen. It didn't bother me too much. I could probably find another in the building somewhere. I wasn't risking going back outside. Getting me in had been hard enough and I wasn't risking it a second time.

"Hey, Mute.." On one of Carl's trips inside he jogged over to me breathlessly and called my name in a soft voice. I leveled my gaze onto him, still reeling from earlier with my back still settled against the firm, cool wall.

His lips formed a frown and he tilted his head as he looked up at me. "Are you okay?" He asked and one of his little hands reached up and he placed it on my forehead. He was checking me for a fever? I could have chuckled but I didn't want to make a sound at the moment. I just nodded with as much of a pitiful excuse for a smile as I could muster.

Once he confirmed that I didn't feel warm he dropped his hand and hoisted my bag from around his shoulders. It looked so big and overstuffed around his tiny frame and it was a wonder how he'd carried it so easily. "Here. I grabbed this for you back at camp. It was sitting where Daryl's tent had been. I think he forgot it. I kept it safe for you." His smile was weary. The day had been stressful on him too. I lifted a tired hand and patted his head affectionately and he leaned in as if to tell me a secret.

"Mom and dad wanted to look in it but I didn't let 'em." He whispered. I hadn't expected anything less from the cop and his wife. Go through the weird girl's things while she's not around. It seemed to be what people liked to do. 'Douchebags..' I thought and had to keep myself from scowling. 'Why can't people just leave me alone?' It wasn't like I'd done anything to earn such behavior. I hadn't hurt anyone unless provoked and all I did was keep my distance and stay quiet. If anything those were admiral qualities. At least I wasn't butting in with my opinions on everything or going around invading people's space like everyone else liked to do to me. If anything I had all rights to be wary of them.

After that the doors were locked again and the shutters closed after the man spoke into a box on the wall. Some piece of technology that I knew nothing about. Electronics and I didn't mix well. We were bitter enemies that respected one another's dislikes. I didn't fuck with it and it didn't fuck with me. Simple as that.

Then came introductions as Rick extended his hand in friendship. "Rick Grimes." He said. The man didn't take his hand though and simply stated his name reminding me that men had no idea how to properly introduce themselves. Not like I had any room to talk. "Doctor Edwin Jenner."

After that I had a dilemma to face. The good Doctor led us all to an elevator. A very small and confined elevator that fit everyone inside in a very cramped manner. Everyone else got in without a problem but I stared at it in horror from a few feet away, my panic button ready to be pushed. There would be people touching me on all sides.

Daryl was the last one to get in and as he stepped forward he also looked back to me. Then came a sigh of 'seriously?' and a roll of his eyes. "C'mon, Mute. It ain't tha' bad. It'll only be fer a few seconds.." He said and motioned for me to follow. I gulped and tapped the tip of my shoe on the ground anxiously and began to nibble viciously on my lip.

The Doctor stared at the two of us, his hand in the way to make sure the doors didn't close and he frowned. "What? She doesn't like elevators?" He asked. I could have laughed if my chest hadn't begun to tighten at the sight of the small space were everyone was squeezed inside. Daryl shook his head.

"No. It's not the elevator she's scared of. Mute just doesn't like being touched." Carl piped up from his place in front of his mother and the doctor spared him a lengthy glance. I saw the look Lori threw her son but didn't comment on it. It was one that said 'Shh, Honey. Let it go.' I was sure she didn't have a problem with me not getting in with the rest of them. She might have even been hoping that I'd just leave. I wouldn't have any qualms with that if it wasn't for my previous promise to Carl.

The Doctor took a look around the small space and I watched the wheels turning in his head. "Well. There are stairs through the door on the far wall. We'll wait for you." He pointed and I followed the line of his finger and spotted the door he was talking about. "We'll be on the fifth floor down." He said and I nodded as I turned and headed off without another word.

I made it halfway when I heard the elevator door close and the huge space enveloped me in silence. It echoed off of all the bland walls and ricocheted around in my head. Silence. Quiet. So empty. It made me wonder how long it had been that way. How long had it been since everyone had left? How did I know that the place was devoid of all human life aside from Jenner? I could feel it. In my bones. In my mind. The emptiness filled up every nook and cranny. Every corner.

I paused as I reached the door and rested my fingers on the heavy metal handle. It was cool to the touch and I wondered how many people had ever used it on a daily basis. One or two a day if the elevators were too packed?

"Al. Woman, ya best wait up 'fore I shoot ya in the ass." I turned my head in confusion and I couldn't believe I hadn't heard the footsteps before the voice. It was Daryl, of course, and he was making his way towards me with at a jogging pace. I frowned and looked to see that no one else was in the room. It was just me and him. What the hell was he doing? I looked him up and down in a manner that inquired why he'd stuck around. I was a big girl. I could take care of my damn self. And what the hell made him think I wanted to be around him anyways? I hadn't forgotten the shit he'd pulled.

He was getting really good at reading me because he stopped a few feet away and raised an eyebrow. "Wha? Ya really thought I wasn' comin'?" He pointed to the door and shook his head. "Ya got a fucked up leg. Ain't no way yer makin' it down five flights o' stairs on yer own." He raised a good point but I would be damned if I was actually going to let him help me. Hell. Fucking. No. I shook my head and opened the door. He could blow a kiss to my pale, white ass.

As soon as I stepped into the stairway florescent lighting flickered unsteadily to life reminding me of the beginning of a scene of some horror movie. Then it set in that maybe Daryl had been right. The flights of stairs were intimidating just to look at. Each one had about a hundred steps to it. The muscle in my thigh twitched in objection. Not that I'd ever admit to Mr. Crossbow that he was right about something. I'd have rather taken a bath with a water moccasin.

"Stubborn as shit.." Daryl mumbled as he followed me in. By the time the door clicked shut behind us I was halfway down the first flight. My leg didn't appreciate the work load but I ignored it. I was determined to prove that just because I had an injured leg didn't mean I couldn't do things for my damn self. If I could handle my shoulder being dislocated by an overzealous bully, waiting until lunchtime, and popping it back into place myself I could sure as shit handle walking up stairs.

The longer I went along the slower my progress started to become. I made it down the first two flights grinding my teeth the whole way with ease compared to the next three. I started using the railing to pull myself along which gave me both of my injuries to grit my teeth over. The gash along my Bicep was bitching and moaning by the time the fourth flight came around. 'God damn I must look fucking pathetic..' I thought to myself. I wasn't mad at anything but my damn self at that point. If I could just get the fuck over my stupid fears I wouldn't have had to put myself through the agony and if I hadn't been such a chicken shit I wouldn't have been near the quarry to take the tumble that I had.

'Stop thinking about the should haves and the could haves, Allison. Get your ass into gear and stop feeling sorry for yourself!' I could hear my grandfather's voice growling in my head. I wish I was half as tough as that old man had been. He'd fought cancer and won and I was bitching about a few wounds? Fuck that.

Daryl kept his mouth shut until we were a third of the way down the fourth flight. He'd been patient with my stubborn ways. Then my damn leg began to wobble and nearly gave out. I caught myself and kept upright using the railing but it was obvious that my leg was done. It had had more than enough and was willing to go no further. I tried to lower it to place it on the next step but it felt like a dead weight and pain shot up my thigh all the way into my hip so agonizing that for a moment my vision fuzzed into black and I felt like I was going to pass out. I shook my head, unable to accept defeat.

From the three steps up that Daryl had maintained from the start I heard him scoff. I didn't even have to look at him to see the smug satisfaction of victory firmly set in his features. "Willin' to le'mme' help ya now? Or ye jus' gonna keep pushin' yerself till ya cause permanent damage to that leg of yers?" He asked. As soon as I could see properly I turned my head and glared at him. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and his hip cocked against the wall. As I'd expected there was a smirk on his lips and one eyebrow was arched. 'Asshole..'

I didn't want to keep the others waiting too much longer. I was already taking up enough of their time. I hung my head in defeat and nodded slowly. If I was going to keep going I wasn't going to be able to do it alone. To be strong one must know when to give up and ask for help. But then why did it make me feel so weak and helpless? Why was it always Daryl? He'd saved me from Frank, from the walkers at the quarry, and even from other campers. He'd given me a place to stay. He'd done too much and now he was offering to help me again. When was I going to stop being such a burden to him?

"'Bout damn time. Ya know.." He came up beside me and threw one of my arms over his shoulders. "Ya gotta be the most stubborn person I ever met 'sides Merle." He grumbled and fastened his arm around my waist. I kept my eyes on the ground in shame and he began helping me down the stairs one at a time. With every step he'd wait for me to lower my good leg and place it on the step in front of me and he'd hoist me the rest of the way down taking most of my weight onto himself. He made it look so easy that I had to wonder how much weight I'd lost since the outbreak started. The last time I'd taken a look at my body I'd noticed a drastic change in appearance. I looked emaciated. At one time I'd been petite and curvy. Not any more. Now I was just short and skinny. None of my clothing even fit me right anymore. Everything hung off of me and looked huge on my frame.

We made it all the way down to the fifth flight before Daryl spoke again. "M' sorry .." He mumbled it so low that I barely heard him. "'Bout las' night." He added and out of the corner of my eye I noticed that he was about as willing to look at me as I was to him. I didn't even nod to knowledge that I'd heard him. I didn't even want to talk about that. Not ever. But he continued. "I jus' wasn' thinkin' straight." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Ya ain't gotta worry. I don' think of ya in 'that' way 'er nothin'. It was jus' a momen' of stupidity on my part 'n I'm sorry." We reached the end and I was relieved and detached myself from Mr. Crossbow as quickly as I could. He didn't look offended in the slightest and opened the door for me. "Jus' wanted to clear that up." He said and followed me out.

The others were waiting for us and once we reached them it was like no time had passed from the moment they'd entered the elevator and when we joined them. Jenner led the way down a hallway. I had to work to keep up with the group's quick pace.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked and I frowned. Of course we were underground. Was that even a real question or had she just felt like asking it to break the silence? "You claustrophobic?" Jenner shot over his shoulder. " A little." Carol replied and Jenner brushed it off. "Try not to think about it." He said and that was the end of that.

In the next few minutes we were all headed through a large frame. 'Damn.' I looked to each side and admired the huge security doors that covered said frame. 'This place is a fortress.' I thought with optimism. Maybe being in this place wouldn't be so bad after all. Once I'd gotten a look at all of the added security measures I was finally feeling a little more comfortable.

"Vi. Bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner said and it was like the beginning of the bible in that place. He said 'let there be light' and damned if the room wasn't lit up like the fourth of July in the next few seconds. 'Must be controlled by a voice commanded computer..' I kept my distance from the group, stopping just inside the door frame while the rest ventured inside further.

"Welcome to zone five." Jenner shot over his shoulder as he advanced into the room. In the middle was a large circular floor with all kinds of technological miracles scattered around. The whole place was one big piece of advanced life if you asked me. But I'd never liked technology so to it just looked like a room full of laziness.

"Where is everybody?" Ricky asked with as much ignorant innocence as he could muster. I'd already figured out that there was no one else in the building or we would have seen them by then. But not everyone had a decent brain in their heads. Some were just a bit slower than others. Rick was a prime example of lesser intelligence. "The other Doctors? The staff?" Officer Grimes looked back and forth as if he expected them all to jump out and yell 'Surprise!' I shook my head to myself and crossed my arms over my chest. 'Not gonna happen, Ricky.'

Jenner turned to face the group as he reached the middle of the circle. "I'm it. It's just me here." He said with a somber tone. He must have been alone for so long that admitting it out loud pained him after such an extended period of time of going without company. He was the second person I'd met since the outbreak who was on a whole different level of 'alone' than I'd ever been.

"What about the person you were speakin' with? Vi?" Lori's eyes were wider than usual and full of anxiety. Poor woman must have been close to a heart attack after the shit we'd all been through. I went ahead and used that as an excuse for her stupid question.

Instead of explaining Doctor Jenner gave her a demonstration. "Vi. Say hello to our guests. Tell them..Welcome." He spoke loudly in a commanding tone and from speakers placed around the room came an automated voice that echoed in the large space. "Hello, guests. Welcome." And the looks on everyone's faces were torn between awe, shock, and horror. Awe at the technology. Shock that it spoke. Horror, I assumed, because that meant that there truly was no one else there.

"I'm all that's left." It could have gone unsaid. "I'm sorry" Jenner looked genuinely remorseful that he'd just completely obliterated all hope that there was some other group of survivors left in the city and that they would surely be found somewhere within the building's fortified walls. While I was content with the idea the rest of the group had to face facts that maybe we really were all alone and on our own. Also Rick had to let the idea sink in that he'd been wrong. Seriously dead wrong. I deduced that it must have been hard on him judging from the forlorn expression on his face.

"If you'd all come this way.." Jenner motioned for us to follow him and the next room we entered was some sort of meeting room. As I took a look at the white board at the front of the room, the long table, and the multitude of chairs I tried to imagine how many ideas had been discussed among the intellectuals that had once roamed the hallways of the CDC. Had there been talk of cures for major diseases? Cancer? AIDS? How many lives could have been saved if it hadn't been for the outbreak?

I moved towards the back of the room and lingered while one by one each survivor sat down before the Doctor and submitted to having a small portion of their blood drained away into the syringes which he labeled and set aside as the next person would move forward.

I wanted to go last. I don't know why but I did. It could have been my fear of needles that made me want to procrastinate letting a stranger stick me with one. Daryl sat down and was a man about it. Just a small flinch when the needle pierced his flesh and then he was fine. I was fidgeting just watching the whole ordeal.

Then he stood up and he looked at me. I already knew what that meant before he even jerked his thumb in the direction of the doctor indicating that I was up next. I gulped and eyed the man prepping a new needle with horror. I immediately shook my head. 'No thanks. I'll just wait..' I cleared my throat and shifted my weight. I didn't want any needles anywhere near me. Even if it meant verifying that I wasn't infected.

"C'mon, Mute. It ain't all that bad. One lil prick an' then it's over." Mr. Crossbow spoke to me like he would a child. "If yer good he migh' even give ya a lollipop." The smirk on his face made the muscle beneath my right eye twitch uncontrollably. 'Motherbitch..' In that moment I wanted to jump on him and shove his fucking crossbow where the sun dared not shine. Then maybe he'd learn his lesson in treating me like a god damn adult. I had to prove that I wasn't as big of a wimp as everyone had come to think of me. Even if it meant letting a stranger within touching distance of me. I had to buck up for a few seconds and then I could go about my business never letting anyone come near me aside from Carl.

I glanced to the boy in that moment. He'd already had his blood taken and was staring at me in that special way of his that said 'you can do it, Mute.' And that's all I needed. Keeping a steady glare on Daryl the whole time I marched over to the seat, plopped down into it, and stuck my wounded arm out with determination. 'Bring it on, Doc. Do your worst.' I thought.

Jenner raised his eyebrows and Mr. Crossbow looked on with amusement. "So your little friend over there" The Doctor looked to Carl with a small smile. "Informs me that you're not very fond of people." He said as he took my arm and lowered the needle. He didn't stick it in right away. He must have been trying to distract me but my eyes were glued to the syringe in his hand. He noticed that his tactics were not working very well and shook his head with a chuckle. "Ya know it doesn't hurt as bad if you don't watch." He said with mild amusement. I didn't care and kept my gaze steady. It would be better than looking at his face while he violated my flesh.

"Alright. Have it your way." He sighed and I jerked the tiniest bit when the needle went in. 'Motherbitcher!' I bit down on my lip and ground my teeth into it. It made me focus more on the pain in my mouth than my arm and it somehow helped me to know that the pain I was causing myself was far more bearable because it was me doing it and not the doctor.

"That's a nasty gash there." Jenner muttered as he drew my blood from my veins. I observed as my life force was sucked into the small tube little by little. "I could clean that up for you if you'd like." He offered but I shook my head. Nope. He'd touched me enough for a lifetime and I just wanted him to finish up so I could scurry away and never let him within breathing room of me again. Something about the man gave me the willies and even though I couldn't put my finger on it I wasn't going to let my guard down for a single second. Isolation tends to make people go mad and there was no telling the extent of the damage his prolonged solace possibly caused.

As soon as the needle left my arm I didn't even wait for Jenner to tape a cotton ball over the small hole punched into my skin. Fuck that. I was out of that chair and back across the room in a whirl of notebook and torn dress. Daryl chuckled as I passed him. "Tha's a good girl." He muttered and I scowled. I denied the possibility that he'd tricked me into doing it because he didn't possess the brains for something even that simple.

Andrea went next and she was calm as she sat down and allowed the doctor to stick her. Of course she did initiate conversation and I couldn't tell if it was to distract herself or to make a good point. Either way she voiced what I'd been asking myself for the last five minutes.

"What's the point?" She asked. " If we were infected we'd be running a fever." She said with a tired sigh as Jenner removed the needle. "I've already broken every rule in the book by letting you in here. Let me at least be thorough." He muttered and labeled her sample. "All done."

She rose from her seat, weary, and didn't take a step before she faltered. The black woman was there to steady her and they stood still for a moment as Andrea regained her composure. "You okay?" Jenner asked. The black woman patted Andrea's back. "She hasn't eaten in days." She explained and the entire group looked to one another and the statement was clear. 'Join the club.' "None of us have." She added.

Jenner nodded slowly and gathered all of the blood samples. "Well then. We'll just have to do something about that now won't we?" He said and though a few people exchanged glances we followed him silently until we entered a cafeteria and my stomach growled as soon as I saw the long rows of cabinets, the two huge refrigerators, and the open door pantry off to the left. I placed my hand over the growling beast and stared at my feet. Daryl looked over his shoulder and stared at my stomach like he thought it might grow a set of teeth and eat him. "Jeese, Mute. If ya were hungry ya coulda fuckin' said somethin'..Shit." He grimaced and I could be sure why. Maybe the idea of me starving wasn't pleasant to him or maybe he never heard a woman's stomach sound so pissed off before.

"Help yourselves." Jenner opened his arms and motioned around the room and no one even waited a damn second before they were all scurrying to find something to eat. Observing all of the commotion from a distance I hung back. I would wait before providing my body with nourishment until there wasn't so much going on. I didn't want to get in anyone's way and possibly get trampled. I watched Carl hold up a box of noodles with excitement written all over his face. "Mom can we make spaghetti?" He asked and pointed to two more boxes of angel hair spaghetti. She patted his head. "I don't see any sauce. And is there hamburger?" She ask Jenner who shrugged. "I've been living off of the ramen. I can cook worth a damn." He said as he opened the fridge and removed a few bottles of wine. Mr. Crossbow made a face at the bottles. "Fuckin' gross.." He grumbled.

A few of the others backed away from the area and I took the chance to slide in close to the pantry where I found a couple bottles of spaghetti sauce and scooped them all up and set them on the counter. Then I shuffled over to the freezer and popped my head in to find at least five pounds of ground beef all separated into halves. I grabbed two and set them aside next to Carl who was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Leave it to Mute." He laughed and beamed up at his mother who shrugged. "Does she feel like cooking it?" Lori asked her son like I wasn't standing right there. 'Well played, bitch.' I thought just as Daryl stepped past me and whooped loudly as he grabbed for something on the bottom shelf of the pantry.

"Now THIS is more like it!" He presented his find with a silly grin. A bottle of SoCo, as I liked to call it. It was more commonly known as Southern Comfort. I couldn't count how many nights I'd curled up with a bottle of the sweet burning brew only to wake up and have half of it drained into my bed sheets. I swallowed the saliva as my mouth began to water at the sight of it.

"Please, Mute? Will you cook spaghetti?" Carl piped up next to me and I tapped a fingernail on the counter as I considered it. Once I'd stopped letting people close to me I'd learn how to do a lot of things for myself. Cooking had been one of them. I couldn't make anything fancy or over the top but I made one mean pot of spaghetti if I had the right ingredients. I nodded and made a shooing motion. Lori, Carl, Rick, and Dale all moved out of the way and I cracked my knuckles before locating a big enough pot. I filled it with water and turned the stove on. While I waited for the water to come to a boil I filled the sink with steaming hot water and plopped the beef into it to quickly defrost it. Plus it took a lot of the grease out of the meat and made it much healthier.

While I went to work locating all of the right spices and making the sauce everyone else sat down around the large table. Daryl was already getting started on his bottle and once I had everything started I set a large glass down and rapped on the counter to get his attention. Mid- swig he glanced to me and raised an eyebrow. "Wha? If ya expect me to help ya cook I ain't doin' it. Yer on yer own." He pointed at me and I rolled my eyes. The day I would want a bipolar, alcoholic redneck helping me cook I would be six feet under. 'You idiot..'

I pointed at the bottle and then at the glass and he took a long look at both. "What makes ya think I'm sharin'?" He asked with an arched brow. " 'Sides ya don't look old 'nough to be drinkin'." He added and I took it as a challenge. I huffed and stomped over to my bag which I'd set down next to the door and went through the small front pocket. I found my driver's license and threw it at him.

"Hm?" A few of the others watched with mild interest as he bent down and picked up the small card which he proceeded to stare at intently. "Well I'll be damned.." He mumbled with a frown. He then looked at me. "Yer twenty one?" He asked and I gave him a blank slate of a look. 'Congrats, dumbass. You can do basic math.' It was more than I'd have given him credit for. A few laughs broke out among the group and Carl looked surprised. "Wow, Mute. You're old.." He said and laughter erupted as I smacked my palm against my forehead as hard as I could. 'Fuuuuuucccckkkking shitballs..'

With a nod Mr. Crossbow got up and began pouring into the glass. After filling it with a few shots he stopped and I raised an eyebrow. 'What the dick? I'm no lightweight..' I frowned and tapped my fingernail on the counter and pointed at the cup again. Daryl's brows furrowed together. "More?" He asked with skepticism. I nodded. 'Duh. I'd at least like to get buzzed tonight..' I thought and motioned with impatience.

He sighed and shook his head. "Alright but I ain't carryin' ya if ya pass out an' I ain't helpin' ya if ya make an ass outta yerself." He warned but I waved it off. He poured at least two more shots into the glass and stopped again and looked at me. "There. Ya happy now?" In response I tapped my fingernail again and pointed again.

"Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" Daryl gaped and Glenn snickered in the background. "I think Daryl might have some competition.." He said and Dale smothered a smile with his hand. "The hell I do. Ya think she can drink more?" He pointed at me and I slumped my shoulders. When did this turn into a contest? I just wanted to drink. Was that really too much to ask for?

Mr. Crossbow leveled his gaze on me again. "Fine, lil lady." He filled the glass three fourths of the way and slid both my license and the glass to me across the counter. "Drink up." He challenged and placed a palm flat on the counter. I placed my license back into my bag and ignored Daryl's challenge as I took the glass and returned to the stove. I went about my business and let the sauce simmer as the noodles boiled and then I busied myself by making meatballs taking a few gulps from the glass every now and then. The first taste of my old friend sliding down my throat was heaven. I always liked the burn as it went down and even the tingling sensation that came afterwards. I didn't even use anything to wash it down with other than more SoCo.

With Alcohol entering my system in gulps at a time the spaghetti felt like it was done in no time and I was banging the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to indicate that everyone could dig in. I made a plate of my own and took my glass to the counter where I'd be eating and hopped up on it, fork in hand and ready to dig in. The others made their plates one by one, took utensils and returned to the table. It wasn't long before they were all stuffing their faces like starving hobos.

The adults were all having a good time getting buzzed off wine and by the time my glass was empty I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol too which had me feeling more relaxed than I had in a long time. With a full belly I was content as Dale stood up and began refilling a few glasses. I hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on with everyone else until Carl was brought into the fun.

"Ya know in Italy children even have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France." Dale was saying as everyone laughed. I was surprised at how little it had taken for them all to get so loosened up. But we all deserved it in my opinion. We'd survived the apocalypse and even made it into the city unscathed. We were allowed to have this bit of pleasure. I frowned at my empty glass and rotated it in my hand. 'A damn shame..'

"Well when Carl is in Italy or France he can have some then." Lori said and covered her son's glass protectively while taking a sip from her own. Rick was obviously the more lenient parent of the two because he chuckled. "What's it gonna hurt? C'mon." He smiled to his wife. "C'mon." He laughed and the two shared a comedic moment as Lori gave in and removed her hand from atop the glass and everyone cheered. Even Daryl who looked to be drunk already. I frowned. 'And he was worried about ME being the lightweight..' I twitched my nose in disapproval.

Dale took Carl's cup and poured the smallest bit of wine for him. "Here you are, young lad." He said and Carl stared at the cup in curiosity. he must have been wondering just what was so special about the drink and why everyone was so happy after drinking it. He couldn't have known the effects of alcohol. He probably figured it just made people stupid. It was true enough.

Everyone watched in silence as the boy lifted the cup and took a small swig and immediately made a face as he lowered the cup. "Ewwwww!" He exclaimed and laughter erupted once again. Lori approved of his reaction and patted his shoulder. "That's my boy." She praised and poured what was left of his wine into her cup. "That tasted nasty.." Carl shook his head with his tongue hanging out trying to shake the taste out from the looks of it. I even giggled.

"You should probably stick to soda pop there, bud." Shane ruined my good mood by opening his mouth and I frowned and hopped off the counter to lean against the island, empty cup in hand.

"Not you, Glenn." Daryl pointed the young Asian man who looked up like he had no idea what was going on. He'd been slowly sipping on a bottle of wine in his hand but Daryl must not have found that acceptable. He poised the bottle over a glass and grinned. "Yer drinkin' lil man. I wanna see how red yer face can git." He said and began to pour and then he handed the smaller man the glass and pointed. "Better drink it all." He warned with something I didn't expect. Playfulness. I tapped my glass on the counter to get his attention and pointed at my glass in a way to say 'me too!'

Mr. Crossbow looked at the empty glass in my hand and cleared his throat. "Ya finished it already? And ya ain't drunk yet?" He asked in mild surprise. I tilted my head and made a 'so so' motion with my hand before sliding the glass in his direction. He shrugged, more open to the idea of me drinking once I'd proven I could handle it (which was bullshit in my opinion) and poured me another glass the same amount as before. "Let's see how ya handle this." He laughed. So far I was having what I could consider a good time. It was nice until Rick stood up and tapped on his glass to get the attention of the group. I raised my glass to Daryl in thanks as he slid it back to me before giving the ex-police officer my attention.

"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly." Rick announced and I had to take a couple looks around the room to even find Doctor Jenner. He was sitting quietly off to the side much like myself. He looked rather somber and it had me frowning around the brim of the glass as I sipped at the leverage warming my belly.

"He is more than just our host." The black man held up his glass and everyone else followed suite with cheers. Even Daryl who made an idiot out of himself by exclaiming "Boo-ya!" To which a few people responded with the same. It was a fucking buzzkill when Rattler had to bring everyone down with serious talk. "So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" Shane asked which threw all of the good moods in the room up into the vents and out into the air outside. "All the, uh, other Doctors who're supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?" He stared at his glass and tapped his finger on the side.

"We're celebratin', Shane. No need to do this now." For the first time since I'd gotten myself acquainted with this group Rick was telling Shane that he didn't approve of something he said or did. Other than the argument over the CDC or Fort Benning I hadn't heard a lick of disagreement between the two. It made this new conversation just a tad more interesting. Or bearable to listen to at least.

"Oh, woah. Wait a second. This is why we're here." Rattler wasn't backing down. "This was your move. We were supposed to find all of the answers. Instead.." He pointed to Jenner with a scoff. "Instead we, uh..We find him. We found one man. Why?" He turned his head to stare at the lone Doctor who's eyes were glued to his hands in his lap for a moment or two.

"Well.." He looked up with a heave of a sigh. "When things got bad a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families." Jenner confirmed my assumption. "And when things got worse when the military got over run the rest bolted." Jenner's look was a somber one but Shane wasn't done with his questioning. "Every last one?" He asked. Jenner shook his head. "No. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They..Opted out. There was a rash of suicides." The Doctor sat back in his chair and I watched the man deflate. "That was a bad time.." He mumbled.

"You didn't leave." Andrea was the next one to speak up. "Why?" There were too many 'why' s and not enough 'why nots'. If I'd been locked inside this building at the beginning of the outbreak I would have done as Jenner said some had and 'opted out' as well. To feel so helpless. To know that I'd have to live the rest of my life within this building or face going outside where death surely waited then why not just end it myself? As it was I'd been forced into survival. My step father told me to run and I had and from that point on I'd had to fend for myself. I didn't have the luxury of a safe haven to hide in until all of my resources expired. I was still wondering if I should have killed myself before I'd promised Carl I'd stick around. Or have let Daryl do it?

"I just kept working.." Jenner explained. "Hoping to do some good." He said and from the other side of the room Glenn shook his head and wandered over. "Dude.." He said to Shane. "You are such a buzz kill, man." and all of my years watching a certain animated television show had me trying desperately not to snicker at the reminder of 'you're more of a buzz kill than Buzz Killington.'

It was obvious, after all of that, that fun socializing time was dead and gone. But that didn't mean I was giving up my liquor any time soon. I'd sooner die than waste precious Southern Comfort like that so as the group rose from their seats and filed out of the room I shoved my notebook into my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and took the damn cup with me on our trip down the hallway full of offices.

"Most of the facility is powered down. " The doctor explained as I looked into each individual room. Each one looked the same as the last. Bland but comfortable. The offices were probably where we'd be sleeping. "Including housing so you'll have to make due here." Jenner explained as we followed behind him like a troop of girl scouts. "Couches are comfortable but there are cots in storage if you'd like." I grimaced. After sleeping on a cot for a few nights followed by the ground a couch sounded absolutely heavenly.

"There's a rec. room down the hall that you kids might enjoy." Doctor Jenner turned and addressed the youngsters at the head of the group and got down to their level. "Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power." He wagged a finger and Carl and Carol's daughter nodded obediently. Then he stood up and uttered the most beautiful words I'd heard in my entire life.

"Same applies if you shower go easy on the hot water." My jaw dropped and my skin began to tingle at the mere thought of finally getting a nice hot shower after being a filthy mess for so long. My 'bath' in the quarry was pleasant but it didn't do a very good job. I was looking forward to being able to scrub every inch of myself until I was sparkling fucking clean.

Jenner then took his leave down the next hallway and Glenn's gleeful expression matched everyone elses. "hot water?" He looked slightly deranged as he said it and the large black man grinned. "That's what the man said." and there was no more discussion after that. Each and every person headed for an office to find a shower. I hung back at the end of the hall and chose the office there to be my sleeping quarters for the night. I slipped inside while everyone else headed onward and closed the door behind me.

I dropped my bag onto the floor and leaned against the door finally letting out a long breath of relief. For the night I was safe. For one single night I didn't have to worry about the undead. I could be alone in this room with my alcohol and my notebook. Of course..First thing was first. I was getting a god damn shower hot or not.

'Cleanliness here I come..' And I darted for the bathroom door to the left.

...

**Whooo! Things are about to get interesting at the CDC! Mute needs a pen but finds trouble instead and Daryl gets uber pissed. I don't know how long it will take me to get the next chapter up but I'll try to make it soon. Until then MUCH LOVE!**

-MeRci.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary**: Hi, everbody! Alrighty so it took me forever (it feels like) to write this chapter. Why? Because..You'll see why! XDIt's relaxing time for everyone! Or is it? The much awaited Shane issue gets nipped in the butt by a drunk hick and we've got some nice (pain in my ass) dialog between Al and Mr. Crossbow. (By the way am I the only one who LOVES that nickname? HA!) Anywho. Read on and I can't wait to read the reviews for this chapter. I'll be sitting on the edge of my seat and gnawing at my nails! =D

**Disclaimer**: Every time I write this sentence I die a little inside..I do not own rights to TWD or any of it's characters. Damn shame..Damn fuckin' shame..

**Credits**: So I'm pretty sure you all know this by now but I'm going to say it again. Why? Because I can! I love you guys! You're all giving me so much support and I..I just love you! Yeah..(ooh awkward..) XD

-xXBXx: Ha! Not bad at all. I was even surprised when the idea came to me. I was like 'wait..Would Al do that?' Then I remembered that I freakin' created her and she does whatever I say she does! hahahahaha! Nah. Drinking doesn't make her crazy. Just talkative. =D

-PoetKnowit20: (Attention is grasped at the word 'pompoms' XD) I made you smile! Yes! (Does victory dance in front of computer screen). You get mentioned in the credits because you're awesome like that. I don't give credit where credit is not due and you and the others definitely get credit for this story. It would have died in it's earliest stages without you guys. I'm not kidding! And even though I'm on the fence about this chapter because I'm afraid I might have taken Daryl out of Character I am proud to post it because I worked hard it. Hope you like!

-ChildlikeEmpress: It doesn't make you wrong because I get giddy about it too. Putting Al through hell is fun for me and I don't know what I'd do if I lost the ability to mess with her! XD Trouble should be her middle name.

-LucyFreebird: (Every time I type your name I get Freebird stuck in my head again and I love it.) A peaceful night? No way. Not with me writing this thing! XD It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't hectic. Hahahaha. All of your questions will be answered in due time. I can't give them all away at once. Gotta leave you and the others wanting more, right? =D

-MyMissingHalo: I hope you liked If I could I would the second time around as much as you did the first. I'll start working on revamping it soon. Accuracy is what I aim for most. I watch every episode at least fifty times constantly having to rewind, pause, and re-play again and again to get down all of the details of everything going on in a scene. Oh, I know it. The second I wrote about the blood test I actually had to go back and re-write that part because I left out Al's reaction to the news. It was a small moment of panic for me XD You know the scene that Daryl helps her with the stairs originally I was going to have Glenn in that position to change things up but decided against it at the last moment. You and the others just got a peek into the bloopers of this fic XD

-CherryMae: Yay! You've joined the happy flock of reviewers for my fic! I'm so happy =D and even though you've been following my story all along I say WELCOME! Because I'm cool like that? Yeahhhh. XD Oh, dear you are sweet! I wouldn't call my writing amazing but I thank you for the compliment. I'll keep up the good work as long as you keep reading. Deal? =D Thanks for the support, yo!

**Playlist choice**:Since I didn't have a song for the last chapter there are two for this one. Deftones- My own summer or Adele-Turning tables.

...

"Ahhhh..." Content was an understatement of how I felt the second the hot stream of water connected with my flesh. As soon as the spray hit me my eyes drifted closed and I supported my weak leg by placing my palms flat against the wall in front of me. I couldn't put my finger on the exact emotions that swept over me. Happiness, peace, and glee were a few of them with a couple of undocumented ones.

I enjoyed the feel of the shower for a few extended moments before reaching out blindly and feeling around for the sponge I'd found beneath the sink. It was a fluffy thing and I closed my fingers over it with the smallest of smiles. Something so simple as a shower and I was feeling the best I had in weeks maybe months. This was a much needed moment of reprieve and bliss that I wished I could hold on to for the rest of my days. After being on my own struggling to survive both in the city and the wilderness constantly having to watch my back. The door lock ensured that I could let my guard down for a little while. It made me feel weightless. The burdens of the past were still dragging on my shoulders but everything else like the worry and anxiety of my new post apocalyptic lifestyle were gone and even though they would be back as sure as the sun would rise in the morning I didn't think about it. The inebriation mixed with the scalding water were the perfect combination.

I opened my eyes and let out a long breath slowly completely emptying my lungs before taking a deep breath followed by a peaceful sigh. Then I turned and found the dispensers on the wall on my right. They were filled with shampoo and body wash and I had to debate on which one I wanted to use first. I chose to wash my hair after a second of contemplation. I squeezed a small amount of the fruity smelling shampoo into my palm while I let the water drench my hair and then I washed it three times. Every time I rinsed I watched the water draining away change from a dirty rust color to completely clear.

After the last rinse I poured body wash onto the sponge and went to work scrubbing my body viciously until every inch of my skin was and angry red and every tiny fleck of dirt, grime, and blood was rushing down the drain in the middle of the shower. I had to take extra care with my wounded shoulder and arm but I let the water spray onto the gash until the dark scab turned white and then I gently washed it. My leg was easier. I just couldn't scrub too hard. Looking down at it was difficult. My thigh was one solid bruise that lightened and eventually faded as it got closer to my knee.

I'd brought a disposable razor from my bag into the shower with me and had to be careful with shaving my legs and was finally able to get rid of the atrocious armpit hair that had been growing more with each day. I could imagine the rest of the women in the group had been disgusted by having to let that go as well.

I scrubbed my body one more time before turning the water off and reaching for one of the towels on the racks just outside the shower walls. I missed the warmth of the spray as soon as I cut it off but I wrapped myself within the fabric of one of the warm, fluffy, white towels and I was in heaven again. I used a separate towel to wring out my hair and then dry it as best I could.

I set my palms on the counter and hung my head after depositing my hair drying towel and warred with myself for minutes on end. I was actually scared to look in the mirror and see the girl staring back at me. She would, no doubt, be a gaunt, horrid thing with eyes as black and empty as the quarry waters at night. Her lips would be scabbed, torn, and bright red like always. Her expression would be thoughtful and disproving at the sight of me. The girl in the mirror never did like looking at me when I'd risked glancing her way. She would always frown at me and keep on walking, averting her gaze like one would if they spotted a horribly disfigured person in public. I hated that girl.

I turned on the tap without looking up and splashed water on my face. Then I grabbed the unused bar of soap sitting all alone on one side and worked a nice lather on to my scarred and scabbed hands. There were angry white jagged lines both very old and new accompanied by fresh scabbing ones from the bush. From my fingertips to my wrists they progressively worsened and were even more noticeable with my shaved arms beneath the fluorescent lighting. These scars and cuts traveled up my arms on both the tops and the whiter bottoms all the way up to my shoulders. I had to focus my attention elsewhere as memories flashed before my eyes.

I spread the soap over my face. My cheeks, chin, nose, upper lip,beneath my eyes and the eyelids, and my forehead and used a washcloth to scrub my face clean. Then and only then did I slowly raise my gaze to the reflective mirror before me. I saw my hands, fisted so tight that the knuckles paled. My arms, marred and imperfect. My towel encased form that I hadn't even dared to glance down at as I washed. My shoulders and collar with my bones all too visible beneath my thin and pale flesh. My neck and finally the woman in the mirror and I made eye contact.

It wasn't as I'd thought. The look on her face wasn't one of disgust or distaste as it had been so many times before. This time it was different. She looked..Human. Her lips were scabbed of course and the same natural bright pink but they were set in an expression of indifference instead of a frown. Her cheeks were slightly more hallow than I was used to seeing but it was her eyes that caught my attention and held it. They were blank yet inquisitive. Not repulsed That old dark brown I was accustomed to seeing they were like bottomless pits. I wondered what lay in their depths.

Before I could lose myself in those eyes I turned, dried my face, and switched the light off as I left the bathroom and entered the office again. The door was still closed and locked. 'Good.'

I crouched down beside my bag and rummaged through it and found clean underwear, a bra, a comfortable black tank top, and a pair of loose fitting denim shorts. In a world ruled by the undead fashion is irrelevant but loose fitting clothing was generally a no-no. If a zombie grabs onto your pants or shirt because it's too loose you'd better be able to get out of it quickly or else you're dead. It went the same with hair. The less the better. I considered finding a pair of scissors to chop off some of my hair but I didn't feel like it. I changed as quickly as I could without causing myself to much pain and then dried my hair some more.

Finally I was finished and sat down on the couch with my notebook in my lap and my drink in my hand as I searched my bag for a pen. I even dumped everything out of it but not a single one of the extra pens I'd shoved inside were there. I couldn't remember ever taking them out and I frowned as I wracked my brain trying to figure out where they could have been misplaced. I could only think of one instance it could have happened. The night down at the quarry when I'd bitten Rifle boy. 'Yeah..That has to be it.'

I sighed and set my notebook beside me and used the arm of the couch to support me while I stood up slowly. I was getting pretty sick and tired of having to baby my fucking leg but there was nothing I could do but wait for it to heal with time. Of course my stubborn actions of trying to walk down the stairs on my own hadn't helped it any. I just had to hope that I hadn't caused further damage and that it was sore now just because I'd used it too much. That it just needed to rest for a bit.

Determined to find a pen I unlocked the office door and peeked my head out to see if anyone else was up and around. The hallway was empty though and I felt safe enough to step out. I made sure to close the door behind me in hopes that no one would go inside and go through my things. I'd already had enough violation of my privacy and I really didn't want any more.

Outside I looked up and down the hallway trying to figure out where would be the best place to find a pen. The rec. room Jenner had pointed out looked occupied so I didn't even bother going there. So I went the opposite way and headed down another hallway. Maybe one of those meeting rooms we'd been in would have one. I'd even make due with a dry erase marker if I had to.

As I turned down another hallway I stopped at the sound of a muffled commotion. 'What the dick?' I wondered as I took a few steps further. It was coming from somewhere at the end of the hall and I couldn't help it. My curiosity got the best of me like it usually did at the worst of times and I ventured farther and finally peeked my head around the corner just in time to see Rattler slam a fist into the wall and curse loudly. It scared the fucking shitballs out of me and I jumped which caught the man's attention. I gulped. 'Bad timing, Mute..'

Through his drunken haze he squinted at me for a second before his gaze narrowed as he supported himself against the wall. His face was bright red and his jaw was tight. He was obviously very pissed off about something though what it was I didn't have a clue.

His gaze faltered as it flickered to the bite on his arm and he suddenly barked a laugh. I looked down at myself in question. Did I look amusing to him? It would be stating far too much of the obvious to say I was thoroughly confused. "The last damn person I wanted to see right now." He chuckled. "Think of the devil and poof!" He made an exploding motion with his hand and shook his head. "She fuckin' appears!" He laughed.

'Uhh..O..Kay..' I looked up and down the hallway. Being alone in the same area as Shane while he was drunk and pissed didn't sound good for my health but there was no one to be seen. 'Okay, Mute. Play it smooth.' I thought to myself. 'No sudden movements.'

"Did you hear?" Rifle boy wasn't laughing anymore. In fact he looked dead serious and I frowned. What the dick was he talking about? Hear what? He sighed and punched the wall again. "Of fucking course you heard.." He muttered with another shake of his head. I was certain he'd lost his god damn mind.

From down the hallway I heard quick, soft footsteps pad by and I glanced just in time to see Lori hurry past for a moment I saw her glance my way. She had her face turned down in the next moment and seemed to be in one hell of a hurry. I looked back to Shane once she'd gone and he was rubbing his temples like he had a terrible migraine. "There she goes..Back to her perfect fucking husband.." He grumbled. Okay if I thought I was confused before I sure as shit was beyond comprehending this level of madness. What did Rick and Lori have to do with anything? And what were the scratches on his face from?

"What the fuck makes her think she can treat me like this, huh? What's he got that I don't?" Shane was staring at me again and he took a step forward that I eyed but I didn't move. I wouldn't until he gave me a reason to. "What's wrong with me? What makes him better?" He took a few more steps forward and breached my spacial barrier and I matched his steps with a couple of hasty ones of my own. I should have just stayed put. My retreat had the fury returning to his expression with a vengeance and he punched the wall yet again. 'How in the fuck is no one hearing this?' I thought as I looked around. I was still completely alone. Was everyone asleep already? or did I really just have that kind of shitty luck?

"You, too?" He exclaimed. "I haven't fucking done anything to you and you fuckin' bit me the first time I even tried to get close to ya!" He motioned to his arm furiously and began to advance far too quickly for me to feel anything remotely close to comfortable. I turned and made to retreat. I would have ran for it but I'd fucked myself over by pushing myself earlier. If it hadn't been for the stubborn shit I'd pulled I could have gotten away unscathed. I could have ran to the office and locked the door but that was out of the question.

I heard him right behind me and panicked. I went for the closest door and darted inside the room. I went to slam it closed and lock the door but Shane was faster and grabbed the handle making it impossible to move. I did the only thing I could think to do. I gave him a swift kick to the balls.

"OOF!" He doubled over but my kick just wasn't effective enough because he kept a firm fist locked around the doorknob. "You fuckin' bitch!" He grunted and wrenched open the door. To keep from falling out into the hallway I let go of the handle but it was all that had been keeping me upright and I'd used my good leg to kick him so as soon as I let go I went sprawling backwards onto the ground with a painful 'thud' as I smacked my head. First the log and now tile? I doubted then that it would be the undead to kill me and multiple concussions would be the actual cause of death.

'Fuck..Fuck..Mother fucking bitch cunt Nazi unicorns..!" I rolled onto my side as stars exploded behind my eyes and I groaned. Everything felt fuzzy and the world was too far away for me to move fast enough. Shane hobbled into the room and dropped to his knees next to me. "Yer goin' to regret that." He growled. I groaned again in response and he chuckled. "Ohhh that leg looks pretty nasty. Bet it hurts."

"ARGHHHHHH!" A scream ripped from my throat like a banshee as rattler grabbed my injured thigh and dug his fingers in hard in a terrible squeeze. My leg jerked as the muscle began to spasm painfully but I'd be damned if I was letting him keep his grip on me for long.

"Fuck..YOU!" I lashed out with my good leg and rolled onto my side with a ferocious twitch and planted my foot in his face with as much force as I could muster. "Sonofa-!" Shane exclaimed as he went sprawling backward.

I took my opportunity. With my head feeling fuzzy, my stomach knotting a million times over, and my leg in agony I struggled to my feet and half ran and half limped out the door as fast as I could going blind the whole way. My vision was fuzzy as all hell and it made my head hurt even more so I shut my eyes. I felt my way out of the room and made it some of the way down the hall when I smacked into something solid and staggered backwards but I was steadied by two big hands.

"Al. R' ya alright? Where's Shane?" I opened my eyes out of confusion and looked up into Daryl's blurry face. I could usually identify him just by smell but he smelled of shaving cream, body wash, and..Was that deodorant? Wait. How had he known anything was going on between me and Shane?

Then I remembered that he wasn't supposed to be close enough to me to touch and jerked backwards away from him. I had to steady myself by using the wall and just as I leaned against the cool surface I heard Rifle boy come stumbling out of the room. His heavy footsteps began in my direction but they stopped immediately. He had to have gotten sight of Daryl and thought twice about coming any closer. Either way I saw this ending violently. 'Oh..Shitfuckingballs..'

"The fuck did ya do?" I jumped as Daryl shouted right beside me and I put a hand to my head as my vision finally began to come back into focus. It was slow coming and by the time I could see what was going on around me, without it looking like I was staring through a filthy pair of glasses, Daryl had already stormed down the hall and grabbed Shane by the collar of his shirt. "Motherfucker I swear ya better not've done somethin' yer gonna regret." I flinched and turned to see Mr. Crossbow slam rifle boy against the wall roughly. So far my prediction of the situation was coming true all too well.

"Get the fuck off of me, hick!" Rattler shoved Daryl off with a grunt and pointed at me. "I didn't do anythin'! Ask her!" He shouted and damn him to hell for bringing me into it. The look on his face was smug. He knew damn well I wouldn't say anything. Daryl turned his head to look at me. I was tempted to just spill the beans about the whole fucking ordeal just to see that victorious twinkle in his eyes be destroyed.

"Al?" I inwardly seethed as Daryl used my name in front of Shane and shot him a glare. What the fuck did any of this matter? Neither of them were on my side. Daryl couldn't see that Rattler had done something to me just by looking at me? Was he blind? I gritted my teeth and glared at the ground. I didn't want to be there anymore. I didn't want anymore violence. This was supposed to be my god damned peaceful night and even though this was my fault for wandering the fucking halls after everyone had been drinking I wasn't sticking around to see the conclusion. 'Fuck..That..' The drink I'd left in the office was calling my name quite loud.

I gave no answer. Not a shake of the head or a middle finger to tell them both to fuck off. I turned as gracefully as I could and headed in the direction of the office. From behind me I head Daryl curse loudly and the sound of violence ensuing but I turned the corner and without a glance back. Id Mr. Crossbow thought I would approve of him beating the crap out of Shane 'in my honor' he was sorely mistaken. I wanted to beat the shit out of the bastard myself but it would be better for me to just let it go. Two wrongs could never ever make a right. Not even in the zombie apocalypse. I didn't need anyone fighting my battles for me and I'd choose which battles to fight and when it would be appropriate to fight them.

As the door to the office came into sight I hobbled to it quickly, slipped inside, and sighed once I closed it behind me. I headed back to the couch and plopped down onto it's cushions and reached for my drink. It was gone within a minute or less and as I sat the cup down my eyes wandered to a desk pushed against the far wall. My gaze narrowed as I caught sight of a god damn pen. 'Mother bitch! I went through all of that for fucking nothing?' So much for my observational skills. If I'd had any brains in my head at all I would have checked the office before venturing out. 'God DAMN it! God damn it..' I glared at the empty cup on the table. "I blame you.." I grumbled.

I forced myself to my feet again and retrieved the writing utensil with an irritated swipe. With the way my night was going I half expected the damn thing to be out of ink or to explode out of nowhere. But I caught a break when I placed the tip to a blank sheet and began to write. 'Well at least SOMEthing is working in my favor tonight.'

_We've made it to the CDC. I don't even know how we made it so easily. Nothing has been simple since all of this started so why did we catch a break now and not when it really mattered? Like when the camp was attacked?  
>There was one snag in the trip though. I didn't think Jim would last much longer once he was settled down in Dale's RV but his loss came quicker than I could have predicted. Guess I still have a lot to learn about the infection and it's details. The ways it can happen, how quickly it spreads (I think it subtly varies from person to person), and how long it takes for the person to die and come back.<br>Jim couldn't make the whole journey. It wasn't long before everyone stopped and Jim was deposited, alive, on the side of the road to go peacefully. There were sad goodbyes of course but Jim didn't look remorseful at all. I think he accepted his fate and retained enough faith to look forward to seeing his loved ones waiting for him on the other side. (If there is one)  
>But now we're inside the CDC and things started out in a way that made me think that this place wouldn't be so bad. There is only one person left here and I can't imagine why he stayed. Doctor Edwin Jenner. He says he stayed to continue working in hopes of doing some good but I doubt there is a cure for what has befallen humanity.<br>We all submitted to a blood test and there were no surprises when we all came up clean. At least I think we did. I'm only assuming this because none of us have been kicked out. Yet. I'm tired of trying to predict the future but it's more difficult to 'go with the flow' when behind every corner danger is lurking. Completely ready to lop my head off and toss it in a garbage can.  
>Ughhhh...I'm too drunk for this shit..Fuck..I'm not even going to document the most recent incident with Shane. It isn't even worth thinking about so I'm just going to close this damn notebook and doodle.<br>_

I made good on my word. As my drink began to hit me I just couldn't write anymore. It was a damn shame because I had some things I wanted to add to my observations list. Unfortunately when I drank my handwriting became damn near impossible to read. It was one of the ways I could tell I was drunk. Not tipsy but drunk. 'Oh well..' It was either doodle or go to sleep and I wasn't tired just yet. I had been earlier but the second I'd gotten a shower I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. So I opted for doodling nonsense around the edges of the page. I wasn't thinking while I was doing. I simply let my hand draw whatever it felt like. In the meantime I zoned. Thinking about the last few hours and how they related to the rest of my past life.

I'd handled the situation with Shane just like I'd handled everything else up to that point even though I'd told myself I was sick of doing so on many occasions. I'd run away. I'd let Rattler and his actions go without a single consequence and Daryl had fought yet another battle for me. 'God damn it, Mute.' I sighed as my pen left dark angry lines on the top left corner of the page. If I looked at them just right I saw a face. An angry one. It pissed me off to look at it and I let my head loll back onto the back of the couch.

I'd let my eyes drift close just as the sound of knuckles rapping on the door had me snapping my head back up. Alert, for the most part, I glared at the door as it opened and a fist holding the bottle of Southern Comfort stuck through and shook the bottle. Stupid me. I'd forgotten to lock the damn door when I'd come back. I sighed. "Al?" Daryl opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. 'Go away..' I stared at him blankly. Was it really too much to ask for some solitude? Just a single night of peace and quiet where I could be alone with my thoughts? Key word being 'alone'. Of course that bottle of SoCo looked mighty nice at the moment.

When Daryl came into the room into full light and shut the door behind him my eyebrows shot up. His lip, which I'd already busted, was twice as swollen as it had been the last time I'd gotten a look at it. There was even a little bit of blood that ran haphazardly down his chin. When he caught me staring at it Mr. Crossbow swiped at it and rubbed it off on his pants. "Fucker got a hit in." He explained and dragged a chair exactly seven feet away from me and planted his ass into it. It was weird. Daryl hadn't been respecting my space rules much lately so why was he doing it now? Because of the shit that just happened? Maybe he was thinking that I was more liable to snap and go batshit crazy on him after the Shane thing and he figured it would be safer for him to keep his distance. But it didn't matter in the long run. I was grateful for the space.

"Thought ya might like 'nother drink." Mr. Crossbow pointed to my empty glass and I looked at it for a while debating whether or not it would be a good idea. I was pretty good at handling my liquor for being a 'lil lady' so it wasn't me I had to worry about. I hoped what he said about meaning nothing by randomly kissing me the night before was true and that it was a lack of judgement on his part and nothing more or else being drunk around him might not end so well for him. If he tried it again I wasn't going to just elbow him and bite. I was ready to castrate the next male that dared touch me without my permission.

'Fuck it..' I slumped and tossed the empty glass to him. I'd already started drinking so I'd be ashamed if I quit now. Daryl caught it and began to pour. He filled it halfway this time and slid it across the coffee table between us and took a long drink from the bottle. I took the cup into my hands and stared at the tempting liquid. I took a drink or two from it and moved off of the couch on to the floor in front of it. I set my cup down on the table and rested my arms on the surface. With my bad leg stretched out comfortably beneath the table I set my chin on my arms and stared at Mr. Crossbow. He looked uncomfortable. 'That's right..Squirm..Like a worm on a hook.'

"I can't believe that fuckin' prick.." Daryl grumbled, sliding his thumb around the rim of the uncapped bottle in slow circles. I looked away. I should have fucking known he wasn't going to just let the issue go. But maybe I could get the answer I'd wanted. How in the hell had he known? I couldn't imagine him stalking me after I left the office and he couldn't be fucking psychic. Just psycho.

"At first I din't believe Lori when she came lookin' fer me an' said I migh' wanna find ya. I thought she was jus' fuckin' with me." That was the last thing I'd expected to hear. Lori running to Daryl hadn't even been on the list of possibilities of how he could have gotten there just in the nick of time. When I'd seen her pass by she didn't look too interested in what was going on and I'd assumed she went back to her child and husband to get into bed and forget anything was happening at all. That meant I would have to thank her the next time I got the chance. 'Damn..' I'd thought she hated me. But she couldn't if she'd done something to prevent something bad happening to me. If she hadn't gotten Daryl there was no telling what could have taken place. 'Nothing good.'

"Well I don' think he's gunna be tryin' nothin' with ya anytime soon." Daryl scoffed and took a drink from the bottle and I rolled my eyes. He acted like a simple confrontation would stop anything from happening to me again. 'Yeah right. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Whether you or I want it to or not.' He couldn't protect me forever and unless he never let me out of his sight again something like this would be inevitable. Of course I wouldn't approve if he took that course of action. I was around him enough as it was. If I had absolutely no time to myself until he deemed it acceptable to leave me be I'd go completely and utterly insane. History was bound to repeat itself.

"Yer gonna tell me if he does, right?" I frowned around the glass rim as I took a gulp. The hell made him think that? I didn't tell him about the night at the quarry. I wouldn't have told him about tonight and sure as fuck wasn't going to tel him about any future events. 'No.' I shook my head slowly and set the glass down again as I straightened my back. It was getting a bit stiff.

"Goddammit, Al. Why not?" That was it. It seemed like recently he couldn't say my name without having a 'god damn it' added in there somewhere. I bristled and glared at him.

"My name ISN'T 'God damn it, Al It's just Al and if you can't say it right then you can just fucking call me Mute." I pointed my index finger at him with a jab and bared my teeth. I would have ripped him a new asshole for saying my name in front of Shane but there was no helping it. No use in crying over something I couldn't fix. Maybe Shane wouldn't remember it in the morning. He'd reeked of booze so there was a chance.

Daryl jabbed a finger right back at me. "Fine,_ AL_." He put emphasis on my name which annoyed the shit out of me. "Don' change the subject. Why the hell won't ya tell me?" He said. I took another drink and felt my inhibitions begin to slip away. He always wanted me to talk to him. To tell him shit that he didn't need to know. What the dick did he want from me? My god damn life story? He would never get it. Not fucking ever. He didn't deserve it and it was irrelevant to whatever fucked up relation we had to one another. "Because you're not responsible for me. I'm an adult." Even though I wasn't the happiest camper at the moment but I kept my tone calm enough.

"That's what YOU think. I brough' ya into all this so whatever happens to ya while yer in this group IS my responsibility." He looked like he'd accomplished something by making his point. But he was still forgetting something pretty crucial. "I can leave whenever the hell I want. I chose to follow you. I'm choosing to stick around. I will deal with the consequences of MY choices. Not you." I lowered my voice and my gaze to stare at the polished wooden surface of the coffee table. My glass was dangerously close to being empty already but I didn't tell Daryl to refill it and he didn't offer to. We were thrown into silence.

Seconds ticked by. They turned into minutes and all of the tension in the room evaporated into thin air the longer we sat quietly. "God dammit-" I heard the 'Al' about to be added onto the end and shot Mr. Crossbow a warning glare. He faltered and cleared his throat. 'Good boy..'

"I been meanin' to ask ya." Daryl took another drink and cleared his throat before continuing. "Why did ya come? I thought ya decided ya weren't comin' along to this place. What changed yer mind?" He asked, his eyes dead steady on the bottle propped on his knee. His eyes clouded over with something I couldn't identify. At least that was an easy answer. "Carl asked me to." I didn't go into detail. Mr. Crossbow gave me a look that said he didn't find it all too surprising.

"Why din't ya tell me?" He asked. That was a stupid question and I gave him a flat look right before I drained my glass. "Oh, I don't know. Because you threatened to shoot me earlier that day?" I arched an eyebrow and Daryl nodded. "Fair 'nough.." He muttered. "I really 'm sorry 'bout that." He added as he motioned to my cup again. I was already at the brink of slurring my words and I had to pee like crazy but I slid it towards him and made it to my feet clumsily and headed to the bathroom. I avoided the mirror this time around.

I returned to find Daryl still sitting in the same spot but his eyes were locked on my glass half full in his hand. "So can I take ya talkin' to me to mean ya ain't mad at me?" He asked as I passed him. He extended his arm as I went by to hand me my drink and I stopped. Was I mad at him? No. Getting mad at someone didn't usually get me anywhere. He wasn't in my good graces per say but mad? No. It did make me wonder why I was talking so much. I stared at the glass in his hand. "Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol." I smiled at my own silly reference but Daryl stared at me like I was high. "Wha?" He asked. I shook my head, accepted the glass, and took my position in front of the couch again. "Nevermind.."

"So yer NOT mad at me?" Daryl looked confused and I sighed and slapped my palm to my forehead. "Stop asking me that." I muttered. He chuckled and took another swing from the bottle. "As soon as ya answer me." He said and I glared at him. "God damn it, Dixon-" I was cut off when Mr. Crossbow wagged his finger. "That ain't my name. It's Daryl." He threw my own words back at me and I was speechless for a moment. "Really? Because I could have sworn it was 'Asshole'. " I shot back to which he only laughed at. "Close 'nough.." He chuckled and shook his head.

Another length of silence followed and we both sipped at the alcohol in our respective containers. It was a new experience for me. I was used to always drinking alone, the bottle my only company. I never liked others being around me when I drowned my problems. Those were my most vulnerable moments and I liked to spend them alone. I didn't like looking weak in front of others even though that was how most people saw me. I could admit it. If I was a stranger looking at me and observing how I acted I would think I was a weak, useless, weirdo with trust issues. Unfortunately that described me all too well. Such a sad truth.

"Ya say ya ain't my responsibility.." I'd rested my forehead on my arms and had been staring at the ground until he spoke again. I barely raised my head and attempted to glare at him but the alcohol running through my system was making even the simplest things difficult. Like looking at someone who was only seven feet away at the most. In fact concentrating on anything was proving to be a damn near impossible task. 'Oh, not this again. Can't we find something else to talk about? Or even better how about we stop talking all together?' I set my chin on my arms and began scooting my glass around in circles with an index finger.

"But tha' s not how everyone else sees it." He continued and I frowned. What the hell was he talking about? No one really thought that did they? And how in the fuck would he know if they did? It couldn't be a major discussion topic. No way. There were far more important things to be talking about. Like how we were all going to survive another day. I was willing to dismiss his comment and I thought the subject would be dropped as he went quiet again. He was drunk. It was obvious just by looking at him. But then he said something and I was knocked for a loop.

"Jim told me to look out fer ya." Daryl's words slurred together and at first I wasn't sure I'd heard him properly but then it clicked in my head that I had. 'Mindfucked..' I thought to myself but was too lazy to even shake my head. "When we lef' him." He muttered and I stopped pushing my glass around for a moment. So that's why the dying man had looked my way. I gave a lazy half shrug. 'Doesn't matter.' Just because Jim wanted him to didn't change anything. I didn't need to be looked after. I wasn't disabled. I wasn't incapable and I'd done a damn fine job of handling myself before I'd met Mr. Crossbow and I'd still be able to without him. Of course I hadn't had as many troubles before I'd met Daryl. I hadn't been backed into as many corners before. But those instances weren't his fault and he'd saved my ass more than a couple of times. 'Such a burden..' I began chewing on the inside of my cheek. "I don' even know why I keep doin' it.." Daryl really sounded confused and I was glad it wasn't just me. "Me either.." I managed to string two words together in a sensible reply.

"At firs' it was jus' because it was easy. I helped ya with the fat fucker in the woods an' brough' ya back. Then ya were always aroun'. Ya followed me pretty much everywhere an' ya were..I dunno..Dependin' on me." He shook his head and took another drink. I would have advised him to stop but that would have made me a hypocrite because seeing him take a drink had me doing the same. This conversation was getting far too deep for me. And I'd thought Daryl Dixon was incapable of carrying on a deep conversation. I gave all of the credit to the Southern Comfort

...

Daryl Pov

I was drunk as a skunk on spring break. My drinkin' hadn't stopped when the group found their places to hunker down fer the night. I'd kept on in the shower an' even afterward. That was why I din't believe Lori when she'd come knockin' on the office door jus' as I was gettin' dressed. When I'd seen her wearin' nothin' but a button-down shirt my first thought had been something along the lines of 'Kinda hope she's lookin' fer a good time.' I knew now it was the SoCo doin' the thinkin' fer me. But all those kinda thoughts went down the drain when she said I needed to fin' Al.

I'd been confused. What the hell was Al up to that she'd need me fer? As far as I could tell as of recent she din't wan' nothin' to do with me. Even if she'd ridden to the CDC in my truck she still kept her space, wouldn't talk to me. Hell she barely even looked at me unless she was makin' sure I wasn' gettin' too close. I'd fucked up. I knew that the second I'd gone an' done a damn fool thing an' kissed her. I'd jus' been so fuckin' mad. I'd blacked out. I'dve liked to say it wasn' my fault but that would be a fuckin' lie. I couldn' blame it on no one else this time 'round. That's why, I think, I felt the need to make it up to her. I couldn' find a way, though, till Lori shoved up an' said what she did.

Drunk an' confused I'd wandered down a couple of hallways till, an' I couldn' believe it, Al came stumblin' down one lookin' lost an' limpin'. That sight'd pressed all the wrong buttons for me way too fast. But she'd jerked away from me when I tried to help her. Then I'd seen Shane wobble outta the same room an' I fuckin' lost it. I'd known that sumbitch had done somethin' to Al previously but she never opened her mouth 'bout it. I had no idea why she din't. Was she protectin' him? I couldn' imagine why. I was drawin' blanks on all sides. But I did know one thing. Shane did somethin' to her an' I was 'round to do somethin' 'bout it this time. He wasn' gonna be gettin' away with it again.

But even though I'd stuck up fer her I only made Al mad. She'd stormed off while I was layin' into the fucker. I'd even been distracted 'nough by her exit that Shane got a hit in. Square in the fuckin' mouth, too. Leave it to that rat bastard to go fer any weakness he could find. Like my already swollen lip courtesy of Al herself the night before. I din't get mad at her fer it, neither. I'd deserved it.

Now I was sittin' in an office with her. Both of us drunk as shit. 'What a fuckin' night.' I rubbed the bridge of my nose between my thumb an' index finger as I tried to figure out how in the hell this conversation had turned out the way it had. We'd been talkin', a fuckin' miracle on it's own, an' then I was spillin' guts to her? How the fuck? Usually when I tried at any real talkin' with a woman my aim was gettin' her naked. Not Al. Though she din't look too bad in that tanktop an' them shorts. Not bad at all. It was a shame the shorts showed off the huge bruise completely coverin' most of her thigh. The tanktop advertised the ugly gash on her shoulder too. If she wasn't Al then I woulda tried somethin'. But what I'd said earlier in the day bout not thinkin' of her in 'that way' was true. Surprisin' as it was. Somethin' bout her was..Differen'. Plain n' simple. She sometimes din't even seem like a real person to me. Like she was some sort of ghost 'er somethin'. Or a hallucination. She was solid an' strong but transparent an' fragile at the same time. She was distant. She was quiet. She was smart as shit an' she was alone most of all. Somethin' her an' I had in common. Once Merle was gone Al was all that was left an' she'd followed me aroun' like a kicked puppy. Which brough' me back to the present conversation.

"I ain't never had no one who relied on me. Ya even put up with my shit. It don' matter if ya wan' me to or not. I plan on lookin' out fer when I can." I'd been havin' a hard time really lookin' at her while I was talkin'. Plus I was slurrin' my words left an' right so I had to look like an idiot. As long as she understood the bottom line it din't matter though. Al was like my sidekick an' Batman wouldn' let nothin' bad happen to Robin so it was the same with me an' her. If she foun' herself in trouble an' I was 'round to help out I'd do it. Fer some odd reason I had the feelin' she'd do the same fer me. Or maybe I was just drunk an' in reality she'd leave me to die. Only time would tell.

As I cleared my throat an' realized it was time to shut up an' hear her opinion on my speech I managed to finally look at her and sighed. I din't know when she passed out but there she was. Her head was restin' in the crook of her good arm, hand still wrapped round her glass an' she was breathin' evenly. Every few seconds she'd let out the smalles' of snores. I'd never heard her snore before an' smothered a laugh so's not to wake her up. She pro'lly hadn't heard a damn word I'd said fer the las' few minutes. I sighed an' looked round the room. The clock on the wall told me it was two in the mornin'. 'Damn..Time flies..'

I capped the bottle which Al an' I had collectively polished off all but a few swallows. It was no wonder she'd passed the fuck out. I was impressed. I hadn't thought she had it in her. 'The hell did she put it all?' I stared at her in astonishment. She was so damn small. There was a reason I called her 'lil lady'. But she drank like a damn man.

I got to my feet somehow an' had to steady myself on the arm of the chair 'fore headin' to the bathroom. I'd needed to piss fer over an hour but I'd been too damn drunk to wanna get up. I nearly pissed myself on the way to the toilet but made it just in time to avoid havin' to clean up a mess. I 'fondly' recalled a few slow nights playin' drinkin' games with Merle an' one of the rules bein' no one could piss till the end of the game. It was a miracle I hadn't wracked up a huge medical bill for bladder infections thanks to those fuckin' nights.

Stumblin' my way back into the office I stared at the door fer a minute or two. The office I'd chosen to call home fer the night was all the way at the end of the fuckin' hall. "Fuck that." I shook my head at the thought of tryin' to navigate all the way there in my state. I chose the couch. I din't think Al would mind. She'd slept on the floor next to my cot an' it was basically the same thing. But as I shuffled towards it I felt bad. I'd said earlier that I wasn't helpin' her if she drank too much. But I couldn' let her sleep like that. She had a gimp leg an' sleepin' like that wouldn't help it none.

"Al.." I called her name tryin' to wake her up to tell her to get on the couch. She din't reply. Not so much as a twitch. I frowned. "Al." I called to her louder. Still nothin'. She was honest to goodness wasted an' passed out. I took my chances with touchin' her. Not much. I jus' bent over and shook her good shoulder. "Hey, Al." I tried again but again I got nothin' from her. She was lost to the world an' whatever dream she was havin' must've been a pleasant one 'cus there was a peaceful look to her. I kinda envied her then.

I took one of the pillows off the couch an' tossed it on the floor. Then I took a deep breath an' hoped I din't fuck up what I was bout to do. My balance was off an' I could barely fuckin' see straight. But I wasn't gonna let her sleep on the floor hunched over the coffee table. I was careful when I took the glass outta her hand an' set it away from her. She gave it up an' her hand laid limp on the table. I moved slowly while crouchin' low beside her an' slippin' an arm round her tiny waist. I'd been taken by surprise when I'd done the same thing to help her with the stairs. The dress she'd been wearin' was billowy an' loose from the chest down an' I was shocked at how tiny she'd gotten. When I first found her she hadn't been big or nothin' but she had some curve to her. She'd lost a bit of it since she'd come back with me.

Caution was key an' I took extra care as I raised her knees gently an' hook an' arm underneath. Still she din't wake up an' I almos' laughed. Poor girl had literally drank herself into oblivion. I lifted her an' laid her down on the couch in one swift movemen'. One that almost had me fallin' on my ass when I stood up straight. Al groaned but stayed fast asleep as she rolled slightly onto her side and began to cuddle with her pillow. I couldn' do nothin' but stare at her fer a second or two. 'Like a lil fuckin' kid..' I thought but had to admit it was kind of cute. 'specially when she fuckin' twitched. I'd had no idea she twitched in her sleep. I could add 'nother thing to the short fuckin' list of what I knew 'bout Allison Grey.

With a yawn I sat down on the groun' an' took off my boots. It was a sloppy few minutes of my fuckin' fingers bumbling over the laces till I finally got 'em off. Then I got back up an' turned off the light. I lef' the bathroom light on in case either of us got up to piss an' laid down at long fuckin' last. The SoCo was doing a hell of a number on me an' I was fuckin' exhausted. I laid out an' rested my hands under my head an' closed my eyes ready to go to sleep. Just as I started to drift off, though, All turned into a god damned chatterbox.

"Fucking PEPLOCS..." She mumbled into the pillow. I sighed an' cracked an eye open thinkin' she might'a woken up. And what the fuck was a PEPLOC? Nope. She was still fast asleep. 'She TALKS in her fuckin' sleep when she's drunk too?' I rolled onto my side an' stuffed the small pillow over my head to try an' block it out. I could still hear her every now and then say somethin' even through the fabric pressed to my ear.

"Goddammit, Al.."

"S'not...My fuckin' name.." Snore.

...

**HAHAAA! How'd you guys like THAT, huh? It took me forever to come up with some dialog between these two. They're just as stubborn in my head with one another as they are in this story! XD In the next chapter Jenner drops the bomb on the survivors and we'll just have to see what comes of all of this. My sequel to this fanfic is coming up soon! Hope you guys are looking forward to it. I know I am (Winky winky) XD. Until next time! Much love!**

-MeRci.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary**: Let me begin by apologizing. I know it took me ages to finally post this chapter and I promise I've been working on it bit by bit since I posted the last one but..Well..I've been nerding out non-stop a lot too! Mostly playing video games that are all zombie related (they're my favorite). Blame Resident Evil 5, Dead Space, and left for dead. They are the distractions I've been having the most. FORGIVE ME! PLEASE! I beg of you! Anywho in this chapter we've got hangovers, observations, death glares, lies, and awkward breakfast conversation! Read and please enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: Do I seriously have to keep putting this shit? I think we all know by now that I don't own rights to TWD or it's characters by now. I just fucking wish I do! XD

**Credits**: This has become my favorite part of writing on this site. Giving back love to those who give me love! I adore you all.

-Lucy Freebird: Shane's asskicking was way over due but worth the wait, no? And there's no need in losing hope. With the way I write there is no telling what the hell could happen in the future. XD

-xXBXx: I think we're all a little foolish when we drink. Shane just takes it to a whole different level though. I'd have to pimpslap anyone who actually acted like that when they drink.

-AzkadelliaBlast94: Aww yay! I'm glad you're looking forward to it. I don't know whether I am or not. It sure is going to be a long, crazy road ahead. That's all I know right now XD

-ChildlikeEmpress: Shane + Asskicking= epic fucking win. Hahaha. I know. The idea to have her talking in her sleep actually came from a friend of mine that I used to drink with and every time she'd pass out she'd mumble non-stop so I thought it would be interesting to see what Al would say while knocked out after too much booze.

-itspeanutbutterjellytimex3: That was what I was aiming for. Everyone opens up a little more when they've got liquid courage flowing through their blood streams so I figured it would be the same for our quirky heroine. Hahaha! Yeah. Nazi Unicorns has got to be one of my favorite things that has come spewing out of my head for Mute to think. At least it's unique..I think. =D

-Pray4Me: Oh wow. O.O Really? I feel so honored that you would bestow such a compliment onto my writing. I have worked hard on it so I'm glad you and the others are enjoying it. These reviews are what I look forward to every time I post a chapter and I get super happy when readers like you throw me a line to tell me that I'm doing a good job. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! =D

-MyMissingHalo: As always your review made me smile. I'm too giddy that Daryl's nickname is like by not only me. It may not be the most creative but I think it's funny as all hell. XD No problems. I'll start giving away more bloopers at the end of this part of the series. There were just so fucking many. And there will be plenty more talk of PEPLOCS to come! (love it) and love you!

-PoetKnowit20: Awesome! Now I REALLY feel special! A banner with my name on it? Ohhh there are stars in my eyes and sparklies flying all about in my glee! 'Massive twat'! Oh, deary! I laughed so hard at that that I hard tears running down my cheeks. Not kidding. That was beautiful. I love you and can't wait for what you've got to say about this chapter, darling!

-Marc: Hahaaa. Shane definitely got what he deserved. A swift kick to the balls and a redneck beating! XD

-CherryMae: Woohoo! I gave you energy with my writing! Score, bitches! =D 'Hick Knight in scruffy armor'..Hmm..I like that! I might steal that from you sometime. I can admit the Batman reference was a nice touch and I'm proud of myself for it. I'm glad you liked it!

-Yodes: You ask and you shall receive! =D

**Playlist Choice**: Nine Inch Nails- The warning (Stefen Goodchild remix) If you haven't guessed it already Nine inch Nails is one of my favorites. XD

...

The hangover of all hangovers greeted me in the morning along with a few other surprises that I hadn't foreseen at all. In the past I didn't experience hangovers much if ever. Maybe a minor headache after a full night of drinking but nothing as bad as what it felt like when I stirred. It could have been the extended period of time between my last drink and last night. My body was used to going without alcohol so it lost all of it's tolerances. I was actually proud of myself for not being a complete lightweight and being able to handle my liquor. But I wished I could remember getting on the couch or inviting Mr. Crossbow to pass out on the floor definitely not within the bounds of his spacial rule. Something told me I didn't do either of those two things.

My eyelids felt like dead weights when I cracked them open. For a moment or two I had to really think about where I was. I wasn't used to being inside. I was like a dog that had been left outdoors for too long. But once my brain started to kick itself into gear (it stalled a time or two in the process) I was able to place my surroundings and remember bits and pieces of what had happened last night. My leg was a painful reminder of the incident with Rattler and the hangover was enough to go on concerning the hours after that. But my thoughts were muddled with the only scene fro my dream that I could vividly recall.

It was about my mother. My biological one. I remembered walking into the living room and she was passed out on the couch. I noticed the needle on the coffee table in front of her and put two and two together. She'd been shooting up again. I could recall when she'd first started using. No one knew about it but me until dad found a used needle in her purse. He'd abandoned his family a week later and left Noah and I in the care of our drugged up mother. It wasn't long before we were taken from her.

I'd focused on her face. Her expression was euphoric just like all of the others times she injected chemicals into her bloodstream to escape whatever problems she thought she had. But as I stared the image began to change. It was subtle at first. A slight discoloration to her skin. I could have dismissed it as nothing but slowly she began to rot right in front of my eyes. She went from looking half normal to her face being bloated and pale. Her lips were torn from her face showing nothing but blood vessels, the red ooze leaking from them, puss, and broken teeth. One of her eyes fell out and within moments had scabbed over and was leaking all kinds of fluids that I didn't want to put a name to. It only got worse from there and the image began to flash and strobe behind my eyelids. It no doubt contributed to my awful headache when I'd woken with a start.

I sat up with a sigh glad to be awake. The dream stuck with me but the longer I kept my eyes open the less I could recall of it until all that was left was the image of my biological mother completely mutilated and demolished. She wasn't a woman. She was a walker. Whether she was in reality or not I didn't know. I couldn't predict that. Something I was rather grateful for. Seeing it in a dream was terrible enough. Reality would break me with that sight.

I massaged my stiff leg and glanced down at Daryl. He was still fast asleep. Then it hit me that I'd never seen him asleep before. It was different. He looked like a little drunken angel. If angels were racist, smelled like hog, and toted crossbows like they were a fucking fashion statement. That made me wonder where his crossbow was. I hadn't seen it since dinner last night. 'It's a fucking miracle is what it is.'

I felt the need to document the moment and it gave me the motivation to do what I'd been incapable of last night. I leaned over the arm of the couch and picked out my notebook and pen which I glared at for not making it's presence known to me and saving me a shitload of trouble the night before. I was sure that if I hadn't had anything to drink i would have located it long before considering leaving the room. But all of that was over and I put it from my mind to focus.

_**Daryl**:** Aka Mr. Crossbow AKA Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._  
><em>- Went off to Atlanta. He's letting me kick back in his tent until he gets back.<br>-Says he'll figure out what to do with me when he and Merle return.  
>-Racist. (Go figure)<br>-Doesn't seem to like Shane too much. I can understand where he's coming from on this one.  
>-Came back from Atlanta sporting a new weapon. Walnut-stock Remington 870.<br>-Might not have found Merle because I haven't seen anyone new in camp yet.  
>-Did he suddenly learn how to cooperate with the others? (Verdict is still out.)<br>-Doesn't like Glenn too much...  
>-Answer to everything: Kill it. (Including me when he found out I didn't want to go along to the CDC)<br>-Throws temper tantrums like a child..  
>-Abused as a child?<br>-I can't tell if he hates me or likes me. He threatened to kill me and then kissed me. I don't get it.  
>-Claims the kiss was a mistake. A 'lack of judgement on his part'. I hope this is true. I already feel unsteady around him as it is.<br>-Fought yet another battle for me when he dealt with the Rattler issue with violence. Of course.  
>-Loves Southern Comfort just as much as I do.<br>-Likes to have 'deep' conversations when he's drunk?  
>-I think he put me to bed last night but I can't remember. I also don't remember inviting to pass out in the office. I doubt I did.<br>(seven foot rule?)_

__**Mr. Rifle Aka Rifle-boy Aka Rattler Aka Shane**_:  
><em>-Also might have been authority. Was also a cop. Rick's friend.<em>  
><em>-Portrays classic 'douche bag' behavior.<em>  
><em>-Walks like he has something up his ass.<em>  
><em>-Kind of funny..<em>  
><em>-Lots of unresolved anger. (Common trait in the males of the group.)<em>  
><em>-Made sure that Rick's wife and son made it out of the city.<em>  
><em>(Did he know Rick wasn't dead?)<em>  
><em>-Didn't want anyone returning to the city.<em>  
><em>-Lori and he have an odd relation to one another that I have yet to figure out.<em>  
><em>-MAJOR ANGER ISSUES!<em>  
><em>-Beat the shit out of one of the survivors for hitting his wife.<em>  
><em>-Followed me down to the quarry tonight. He got too close and when I made to run he grabbed me. That's the second time I've been touched since I entered the area.<br>-Conceited  
>-Might be mentally unbalanced.<em>  
>-<em>READ MY GOD DAMN NOTEBOOK!<em>  
>-<em> At first suggested the group head to Ft. Benning. Later changed his mind to the CDC. Probably had a long talk with his wife, Rick.<br>-Was ultimately right about the CDC not being the best plan of action. (Was more than a little smug when he realized this and made sure everyone knew it.)  
>-I think he might have attempted hurting Lori. He had scratches on his face and she was the only other person around.<br>-Attempted to assault me for reasons that I don't understand. He got the crap beaten out of him by a drunk, pissed hick for his troubles. I wonder if he got it into his head yet to leave me alone. Only time will tell.  
><em>___(As much space from him as humanly possible!)__

_**Rick**:_  
><em>-Might have been authority before the breakout.<em>  
><em>-Handcuffed Merle to a roof.<em>  
><em>-Might be a good guy. The verdict is still out on that. He did say he would help get Merle back. Still doesn't excuse the fact that he put him on that roof.<em>  
><em>-Went to go get Merle and a bag of guns. <em>  
><em>-Has a 'more holy than thou' leadership aspect to him. He got to camp about the same time as I arrived and he's already a big part of the leadership totem. <em>  
>-<em>Stopped Daryl from killing Jim. He says not to kill the living. But I think Jim's already dead for the most part.<em>  
>-<em>Suggested the group relocate to the CDC. I don't trust his instincts<em>.  
>-Was wrong about the CDC. There's nothing here. I doubt I will ever heed his instincts ever again.<br>-Has to be dumber than a box of rocks not to see that his 'best friend' is an evil bastard with bastard coating and crunchy, bitter bastard filling.  
><em>(Ten foot rule.)<em>

___**Carl Aka 'Sunshine'**:_  
><em>-Rick's son.<em>  
><em>-Sweet kid.<em>  
><em>-Curious.<em>  
><em>-I don't think his mother likes me too much.<em>  
><em>-The most adorable kid I've ever had the good graces to meet.<em>  
><em>-Really likes candy. (What kid doesn't?)<em>  
><em>-He reminds me of Noah...<em>  
><em>-Lots of faith in his father.<em>  
><em>-Wanted me to catch frogs with him and Shane. <em>  
>-<em>Didn't see him for a while after the walkers attacked camp. I missed him. <em>  
>-<em>Convinced me to go with the group to the CDC. God damn it..<em>  
>-<em>Also read my notebook..I blame Shane. Fucking bastard..<br>_-Keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. He made sure to grab my bag when we left camp and he kept them safe even though Lori and Rick wanted to go through my shit.  
><em>(No distance rule.)<em>__

____**Lori Aka 'The cops wife' Aka Bitch:**_  
>-<em>Reunited with her husband.<em>  
>-<em>Keeps giving me the stink eye<em>  
><em>-Might have a split personality. She told Rick that he would go back for Merle then argued that he shouldn't go later in the day. <em>  
><em>-Doesn't like Shane hanging around her son.<em>  
><em>-Kind of melodramatic.<br>-Bitch..  
>-I think she defended herself against Shane. I'd like to know but I'll never ask. It would be nice to know I'm not the only one he pulls shit with.<br>-Might not hate me as much as I originally thought? She went to get Daryl when she saw Rattler and I in the hallway.  
><em>_(Twelve foot rule?)____

_____**Jim Aka 'Pitchfork'** :_  
><em>-Kind of quiet.<em>  
><em>-Likes to hang around Dale.<em>  
><em>-Might be experiencing some sort of mental breakdown. I saw him digging on my way back to the tent. <em>  
>-<em>Was bitten in the walker attack. Poor son of a bitch..It won't be long before he's dead.<br>_-Couldn't make the journey to the CDC and was dropped off to die and change in peace.  
>-I'm pretty sure he's already walking around with cannibalism on the brain(?)<br>-Asked Daryl to take care of me. (What the fuck is up with that?)  
><em>________(Not within biting distance if we ever meet again. The same berth I'd give to any walker.)_____

**_____Dr. Edwin Jenner Aka 'Doc':  
>-<em>____**_____The only person left at the CDC. He says everyone else either ran for it when the outbreak happened or killed themselves.  
><em>_________-Claims he stuck around to do some good. He didn't.  
>-Gave us shelter.<br>-Is very sketchy. He gives looks sometimes that hint that he knows more than he's willing to tell.  
>-He's been alone for so long that he reminds me of me. He doesn't ever get too close to anyone and though he is more sociable than myself by far he is also extremely detached from his surroundings.<br>-When he's in a room he is easily forgotten.  
>-Prefers to watch from the sidelines than to assert himself.<br>-Rarely speaks without being addressed first.  
>-I don't know whether or not I want to figure this person out. There's something..Not right about him. That's funny. For me to say someone isn't right is really saying something.<br>(nine foot rule.)_____

...

Daryl Pov:

"Ya fucked up, Daryl. Ya know tha' right?" Merle din't look happy with me none. I couldn' place our surroundin's but wherever we were it reminded me of home in some way. Not the look of it. God, no. We were in the middle of fuckin' nowhere in some rundown fuckin' shack. Lookin' out one of the small, dusty windows I saw nothin' but dirt as far as the eye could see. Nah it was more the feel of the place. Or it coulda jus' been 'cus Merle was there. I called any place with Merle home. Din't matter where it was s'long as he was there to watch my back like we'd done fer each other since we were kids. My problems were his an' his were mine. That's how it was fer the longes' time. 'Till he was left on that fuckin' roof to die. He'd haunted my dreams from that nigh' on. Bastard wouldn' leave me 'lone. Like it was my fuckin' fault he got lef' up there.

"The hell ya talkin' 'bout?" I asked, confused. An' how'd we get there? I had to be dreamin'. Merle wasn' back. He was still out there wanderin' on his own or maybe shackin' up with another group. But I couldn' see him trustin' another group o' people enough to stick 'round fer any extended period of time ever 'gain. But that was beside the point. He couldn' be sittin' in a creakin' wooden chair in front of me unless I was dreamin'.

He had his stump of a hand restin' in his lap an' he was snortin' cocaine outta a lil' glass tube like he always did. He used to offer me the shit but that was somethin' I never followed him in. I'd smoke a lil' of the green stuff now an' then an' drink like a fish but blowin' coke was Merle's thing. Not mine. Never mine. I'd let Merle talk me into doin' it once but I din't like that. I preferred the high that came from landin' a bolt between a fifteen point whitetail buck's eyes after trackin' it fer a few days. To me there was nothin' that could beat that feelin'. Sex was a close second, though.

"Don't ya think ya should be out lookin' fer me instead of playin' nice with camp 'leave a man fer dead'?" He asked. My jaw dropped. Was he fuckin' kiddin' me? "Don' ya think if there was a way fer me to find ya I woulda done it already?" I shot back to him. I couldn' believe what I was hearin'. Merle scoffed at me an' left me reelin'. "You tellin' me with all yer huntin' an' trackin' skill ya couldn' find yer own brother? What good are ya?" He waved his stump at me an' raised his voice. "Ya know if it were you left on that fuckin' roof to cut through yer own goddamn hand I wouldn' have rested till I found ya an' fuck what anyone had to say 'bout it." He was pissed but I couldn' blame him. If I was in his position I'd be pissed at me too. I was just as bad as the fuckers who left him there by not helpin' him. But that city was full o' walkers. An' I coulda looked all night an' day fer the rest of my fuckin' life in that city an' it wouldn'ta mattered none. He'd stolen the van we used to get into the city an' made it off with it to god only knew where.

"I went back fer ya. Don' that accoun' fer somethin'?" I grasped at whatever I could."Then ya stole our fuckin' van. Ya made us walk all the way the fuck back to camp." I made an attempt to turn it aroun' so I din't look as bad but Merle jus' smirked an' waved that stump aorun' again. "Well 'scuse the fuck outta me. How was I s'pose to know who's wheels they were?" He was winnin' this argument an' there was nothin' I could do 'bout it. "Bitch was hard to drive wit' one hand I'll tell ya that." He added.

I couldn' come up with nothin' to say to that. Pro'lly cause Merle was right. I hadn' done enough. I shoulda been out lookin' fer him the second I found out bout it. Instead I'd waited around fer the 'go ahead' from Officer Dick an' his girlfriend, Shane. "Shit.." I sighed an' slumped my shoulders, defeated. The hell could I say after that? Fuckin' nothin'. But Merle had a few things to say.

"Of all the fuckin' people in that goddamn group that I thought would fuck me over.." He shook his head an' stared at me. His upper lip crinkled in disgust. "I never thought It'd be you." That made me feel like shit but what came next was a blow I din't think I could ever recover from. Merle could be a real dick sometimes but nothin' like what came next. "I shoulda 'spected it. Ya always were too much of a pussy to do anythin' fer yerself. I always had to be there in case ya fucked it up. I always cleaned up yer messes." He barked a sick laugh. "Poor lil' Daryl always needin' big brother to hold yer fuckin' hand. Ya ain't gonna last long without me. Might as well throw in the towel now." He looked completely fuckin' serious when he said it, too.

The fuck? He couldn' mean that. He jus' fuckin' couldn'. It wasn't true. I'd done plenty on my fuckin' own. Yeah, I relied on Merle when I needed to but it wasn' an all the time thing. I was lef' speechless an' gapin' at him. "Don' know how ya expect to take on the responsibility of 'nother person when ya can't even take care of yerself." Fer a second he confused me. Who was he talkin' bout? Then it hit me an' that was it. Merle could say anythin' he fuckin' wanted 'bout me but not Al. He was my brother an' I fuckin' loved him but I'd said I was gonna protect Mute and I knew how to keep my goddamn word. "To hell with ya." I stood up an' sent my chair clatterin' to the floor when I kicked it an' stormed outta the shack slammin' the door behind me.

Outside it was a desert. Nothin' but sand an' dunes. Not a single tree or even a piece of grass. The wind was vicious an' blowin' sand every which way. I stopped an' noticed if I stood still fer too long my boots would be buried in no time so I kept walkin' to keep from bein' rooted to one spot. I was pissed. It din't matter where I went as long as I was away from Merle in that moment. Or else I might do somethin' I'd regret later. We'd fought in the past over stupid shit but if we fought over Al then things would get outta hand. She wasn' as importan' to me as Merle was but him suggestin' that I'd let her down got under my skin more than I was comfortable with admittin'.

"Sumbitch..!" I spat into the sand an' glanced over my shoulder to see if Merle was lookin' out the window. I wanted to shoot him the bird but I stopped an' squinted thinkin' I was losin' my fuckin' mind. The shack was gone. Not a fuckin' sign of it was left. I shook my head an' looked around thinkin' maybe I'd wandered off an' it could be on one of my sides. Everythin' looked the same so I coulda done it without thinkin'. Nope. Nothin'. Had I fuckin' been transported to the Twilight Zone or somethin'?

A lizard scampered over my boot an' I went to kick it off but it wouldn't move. "Shit!" I hissed an' looked down. I'd stood still too long an' I was ankle deep in the sand which had turned black as coal. I growled an' tried to get myself loose but I got distracted by somethin' in the distance stickin' up outta the sand. I shielded my eyes with my hand an' it became all too clear to me. The shack hadn't disappeared. It'd been swallowed up. One of the corners was still uncovered but not fer long. I watched as it too was covered completely. But..Merle had been inside!

"Merle!" I tried to run back. I had to help him. I couldn' let him get buried alive like that. Not when I could do somethin' bout it. Maybe If I could dig 'nough I could break the window an' get him out. But I was helpless. I was knee-deep in sand now an' couldn' move 'nough to fart. I leaned down an' tried diggin' but the harder I tried the less I succeeded an' sand tried to swallow my hands so I jerked back up straight an' struggled. "Merle! MERLE!" I shouted. I wanted to help him. I had to help him. But who was gonna help me? "MERLE!"

"Stop struggling.." I froze up. Who the hell? Like I was really gonna stop fightin' while Merle was dyin' an' I was slowly bein' buried alive? Fuck that! "MERLE!" I grunted as my waist was engulfed. "GODDAMMIT! MERLE!" The sand was half blindin' me an' I kept my hands up so I could still make some kinda use of 'em. I tried to guard my eyes from the lil' gritty bits but they were blowin' into my eyes without a sign of stoppin'

"You should learn to listen." There was that voice again. This time it was accompanied by a soft sigh. Who the fuck was it? I though' I was the only one out there. The voice sounded airy like the wind itself was blowin' the words into my ears like a sweet assault that I din't wanna hear. "Fuck you!" I grunted at it an' struggled harder but it was no use. I was gonna be a dead man soon 'nough. I'd be damned if'n I din't go out fightin' like a goddamn Dixon.

"Just like you to lash out with violence when confronted with a problem instead of taking a logical approach and figuring out how you could have avoided all of this in the first place, hmm?" I knew that fuckin' voice. I fuckin' knew i did but I couldn' remember who it belonged to fer the life o' me. "Shut the hell up!" I shouted. I din't need someone yakkin' in my ear while I was tryin 'to save my own damn life. I had to fuckin' get outta there! My chest was growin' tight as the sand made it hard to breath. It was everywhere! I was shoulder deep an' suffocatin' to death. Every panicked breath I took only made the sand crowd against me tighter.

"You'll never figure it out that way." I growled an' looked up to see a figure. But they weren't really there. They were more of a silhouette with the wind blowin' straight through 'em. Like they were solid but not at the same time. The voice became clearer as they floated over the deadly desert surface an' came to a stop righ' in front'a my outstretched hands clawin' at the sand tryin' to pull myself out.

As the illusion of a person came into focus an' I shielded my eyes an' looked up into their face I figured out where I knew their voice from. "Al?" I gasped as the sand covered my chin an' invaded my mouth. I spat it out but it left my mouth dry an' further choked me while I breathed it in. I wanted to tell her to help me but all that came out was a fit of coughs an' then my mouth my smothered followed by my nose. I glared up at her. She was jus' standin' there starin' down at me with pity. What the fuck? My head was covered an' through the mufflin' sand I heard her speak one more time.

"Just let it go, silly."

Of course Al had to be the firs' thing I fuckin' saw when I woke up. Fer the few seconds while I was stuck in the space between sleep an' awareness I wondered why she'd lemme die. Why hadn' she helped me at all? She was right there. Then again she hadn' been exactly solid an' I had a feelin' that even if she'd given me the hand I'd needed my own woulda swiped through nothin' but air.

It gave me a feelin' of foreboding or dread. Like my dream was a bad omen or somethin'. I never believed in anythin' like that but fer a second or two there I was willin' to take it into consideration. Until my hangover reminded me that thinkin' hurt too much an' it would be best to avoid it. How the fuck was Al not curled up into a lil' ball?

"How in the hell can ya do that?" I sat up with a hand to my throbbin' head. "Ain't ya hungover?" I stifled a yawn an' she glanced up from her notebook. She'd been scribblin' away lost to the world jus' a moment ago. At my question she continued to write a line or two an' then closed the book an' set it next to her with no answer. 'Oh. Great.' I thought an' sighed. "Lemme guess. Yer back to clammin' up again?" I asked an' almost laughed at her reply. She set her hands in her lap an' gave me a look that said 'Duh.'

"Shoulda figured as much." I mumbled an' ran my fingers through my bed-head. My back wasn' much appreciatin' sleepin' on the floor. I wish I'da gone ahead an' stumbled back to my own office an' passed out on the couch but there wasn' no helpin' it now. Probably should'na drank as much as I did. "Goddamn. It feels like there's a civil war reenactment in my head with a few extra drummer boys." I grabbed my boots an' shoved my feet into 'em. I'd done a number on the laces the night before. Pulled 'em most of the way out tryin' to get the fuckin' things off.

"Fuckin' starvin' too." I added as my stomach gave it's two cents. Sounded a helluva lot like an angry fuckin' bear to me. Even Mute gave it a curious sidelong glance which I pretended not to notice. I was still left on edge by my weird ass dream. The hell could it mean? Or did it mean anythin' at all? I couldn' come up with nothin' so I woulda liked to think it din't mean nothin' but I couldn' deny that it left an imprint on my mind an' gave me an odd feelin' in my gut. Like somethin' was on it's way. Somethin' that, a lot like my dream, I wouldn' see comin'. With anyone else's luck I'd be wrong. With MY luck I'd be way too fuckin' right.

Finally strapped an' ready to face whatever the day had in store fer me I stood up an' tossed the small pillow back onto the couch an' stretched all of my smartin' body parts. Next to my headache it was my back that was the fuckin' worst. It was stiff an' achy. Mostly towards the bottom of my spine an' right smack dab in between my shoulder blades. Strechin' din't help much but it loosened up some of the muscles an' got the blood flowin'. I depended on my body to be ready fer anythin'. It wouldn' do me no good if I was stiff as a fuckin' board fer any extended period of time. "Should'na slept on the fuckin' floor.." I grumbled an' tossed a glance to Al. I looked pointedly at her injured thigh. "How's yer leg feelin'?" I asked. If anyone ever asked if I cared I woulda denied it till my dyin' day. I'da brushed it off like I was just makin' sure she could function. She wouldn' be no good to nobody if she couldn' move 'round.

Al looked down at her leg an' then gave me a 'so so' motion with her hand to which I nodded my approval. It was better than a thumbs down. "Shit." I yawned an' my stomach gave 'nother one of it's pissed growls an' I gave into it's naggin'. " 'M gunna go get somethin' to eat." I announced an' headed fer the door. I kept an' ear out but I din't hear Mute movin' 'round behind me. It had me frownin' by the time I opened the door an' turned back. She was still sittin' on the couch, one leg tucked up under her an' her eyes settled on the wall to her left. I followed her gaze. She was starin 'at one of them motivational posters with the cat tellin' the viewer to 'hang in there'. I rolled my eyes. 'Yeah. Hope the bastards who made that damn thing are barricaded in some buildin' somewhere with walkers on all sides.' I could bet whoever made those damn things was a fuckin' walker themselves unless they'd already kill themselves. It's easy to tell others to keep their chin up when ya ain't gotta deal with the same heavy shit.

"Ya comin'?" I asked an' cleared my throat. Al snapped out of whatever thoughts she'd been havin' an' turned it on me which had me avertin' my eyes to the wall directly beside her head. I din't know why it was so hard to take too much eye contact with her but it was. It coulda been 'cus every time I tried all I saw were those two big, dark eyes drillin' into me. Even when her face was completely void of all emotion those eyes of hers held somethin'. I could never say what it was 'cus I din't know it but whatever was there was too much fer me to handle.

She let out a long breath an' held up a finger to me. Then she stood up an' made her way into the bathroom. I din't know what that finger meant. If she wanted me to wait up fer her or if she was tellin' me 'in a minute'. Either way I stood there fer a minute or two. Then I heard the all too familiar sounds of her gettin' sick an' I wasn' waitin' 'round fer her to finish. There was no tellin' how long she'd be in there an' I was fuckin' hungry enough to hunt down a full-grown grizzly bear, kill it with my bare hands, an' eat it if I had to. "Take yer time.." I muttered more to the hallway an' exited the room. I cringed at a particularly nasty gag jus' as I closed the door an' shook my head. "Fuckin' gross.."

I was one of the last to crawl outta the offices fer food it seemed 'cus when I entered everyone except fer Al an' the Doc. where seated 'round the large table just as the nigger came 'round holdin' a fryin' pan full of eggs. I was comforted with the sight of not bein' the only one hungover. The chink had his head hung an' was emittin' a groan or two while the black woman rubbed his back an' comforted him. I fuckin' knew he wouldn' be able to hold his liquor like a real man. More like a prepubescent boy. I think Carl mighta handled his small sip of wine better than Glenn had his Southern Comfort.

My eyes scanned the table 'till I found the one person I'd been lookin' fer. Shane. He was sittin' with his head down only lookin' up when he sipped his coffee. I felt my eyebrow twitch at the sight of him an' gathered up as much hate as I coul' an' threw it at him in a glare. I wouldn' do nothin' to him while his brother in uniform was in the same room but I woul' damn well make him know he'd fucked up in the worst way possible. He caught me glarin' at him an' my jaw tightened as we made eye contact. Yeah. He definitely knew he fucked up. He looked away in a fuckin' heartbeat. Just as Officer Dick got curious.

"Damn, man.." Rick cleared his throat to get his friend's attention. It worked like a charm an' Shane raised his gaze to the other man's face. "The hell happened to you last night?" Rick asked. I coul' feel the tension in the air as Lori froze up an' in the next moment tried to act completely fine. Like her heartbeat hadn' stalled an' sputtered to a halt as her husband stared at the scratches on Shane's face an' the black eye I'd given him. I saw it in Shane, too. There was no way he was gonna spill the beans 'bout what really happened. 'Oh I can' wait to see what yer gunna say to cover yer ass this time.'

I couldn' help myself. "Yeah. How'd all that happen?" I asked. I don' know how I managed to do it but I kept my tone utterly curious an' din't let an ounce of self righteous victory an' smug pride slip out. Pretty damn impressive fer me. But I did smirk a lil' while no one was lookin'. Shane wouldn' say shit. I could see the wheels turnin' behind those shit brown eyes o' his an' wondered what sorta lie he'd churn out. He glanced from me to Lori an' then finally Al as she entered the room. Her shoulders were hunched an' her eyes were glued to the groun'. Shame was scribbled in her body language an' it pissed me off all over 'gain. 'Sonufabitch..'

...

Mute POV

There was nothing worse than vomiting after a night of hard drinking. Nothing could compare. Especially when I added my pounding headache and the glaring fluorescent lighting into the mixture. Every time I'd heaved I'd hugged the toilet bowl for dear life thinking my head was going to explode if I exerted too much force. For ten solid minutes I was hoping that a walker would appear out of fucking nowhere and put me out of my fucking misery. Of course no such thing would ever happen to me. I didn't have that kind of luck on my side. Nope. The universe was out to get me and watch me suffer. Whatever higher power was out there must have been one sick fucker.

I'd stood outside the eating area for a good three minutes gathering my courage to actually step foot into the place. I was hoping Rattler would be so fucked over from the night before that he'd sleep through most of the day. I didn't want to face him. I really didn't want to face him, Lori, and Mr. Crossbow in the same room all knowing what had taken place and how bad it could have been without interference. I'd put up a decent fight but I wouldn't have been able to keep it up if Daryl hadn't swooped in and saved the fucking day..Er..Night. No it was past midnight so technically it was day.

I'd only been able to pluck up enough of my dwindling bravery because of my stomach gnawing at itself and finally shuffled into the room in my usual manner. Eyes down and completely oblivious to the existence of others. If I made eye contact it might give someone the idea to try to start up a conversation. I wanted that about as much as I wanted to be stranded on a tiny island with Rifle boy.

Of course I had to walk in just as Rick started to question Rattler about his new injuries. It was then that I had the courage to glance up and take a gander at the swollen mess that Shane called his eye. I admired it for a moment or two and then my eyes were back down and I chose a spot against the far wall to lean. T-Dog sauntered over with a plate of eggs and a smile on his face. "Since you cooked dinner last night I thought I'd contribute a little." He held it out to me and I took it with a nod of gratitude. My stomach was doing back flips at the sight of food.

"Man, I got no idea.." Rattler grumbled with a shake of his head to Rick's question. I shoveled eggs into my mouth to stop myself from shouting at him 'I have a couple you bastard!'. "I think I ran into a wall on my way to the bathroom last night or somethin'.." He rubbed his head and winced. "Sure as shit feels like it." He added and I couldn't be sure if he was comparing Daryl's punch to slamming face first into a brick wall or if he was just trying to cover his ass. Maybe a little of both.

Ricky pointed to his husband's neck and raised his eyebrows. "And the scratches?" He asked. More eggs were shoveled into my mouth so furiously I almost choked on a mouthful which got a couple of odd looks but nothing more. Even Rifle boy looked my way but I gave him a look that dared him to keep those conniving, deceitful eyes turned my way for more than a few seconds. I'd throw my plate at him and attempt to drive my fork into his eye. Bet he wouldn't do it again.

He looked away almost instantly and looked at Lori instead. I wished she would at least speak up but she had about as much reason not to as the rest of us. I was trying to keep peace. Shane might not have been my favorite person but he was good with a gun and was one more line of defense against PEPLOCS which was enough for me not to open my mouth. We needed as many people now as possible. "Musta done in it in my sleep." Was Shane's answer as he rubbed the scratches gently with a thoughtful expression.

"Never seen you do that before." Rick said and Shane jumped on it. "Me neither." Which was a stupid reply in itself. How in the hell is one supposed to see themselves doing something while they're sleeping? Made no god damn sense to me but that was most likely because I had more than half a brain to work with. "Ain't like me at all.." Shane looked at Lori and I rolled my eyes. 'What? Being a fucking idiot? Nope. Sure sounds like you.' I thought bitterly. I couldn't imagine a scenario where I would ever consider being civil towards that man again. There had been a time I would give it due consideration like most things. Not anymore. To say he'd fucked up big time would be a drastic understatement.

The good Doctor decided to join us a minute or two later and immediately headed for the coffee after greeting us all with a polite 'Morning' accompanied by a yawn. Like most Americans he must have had a hard time starting a day without a caffeine boost. I'd been the same way at one time but when zombies destroyed everything I held dear I found it was harder to sleep anymore than wake up.

Shane and Rick were simultaneous in their greetings. Rifle boy must have been happy as shit to have the attention taken off of him. I would be too if there were that many eyes drilling holes into my face from all angles of the room. "Hey, Doc." They both said. Jenner nodded in acknowledgement and then focused on making his coffee. I watched him with mild interest. I could usually judge a person by the simplest things. How they liked their coffee for instance. He liked his black. Generally I took this as a sign of either laziness and an acquired taste for all things bitter both in the brew and in life or a desperation to get things moving with as little effort as possible. With Jenner it could have gone either way but since I'd been watching his every movement, facial expression, and gesture that I could I leaned towards the former. We'd all experienced bitterness in out lives but this man was a walking talking ball of misery.

"Doc, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing-" Dale snapped me out of thought and I set my plate aside. There were still eggs waiting to be devoured and I wasn't one to waste food but my shriveled stomach couldn't take another bite. After going so long without any real nourishment it was hard to fit any substantial amount of food into my stomach without feeling like I was going to throw up. I'd had enough of that for one morning so I played it safe.

"But you will anyway." Jenner smile was one of acceptance. He knew we wanted answers. For all kinds of things. Why were there zombies? What caused all of this? Was there a cure? (I doubted it) Would things ever go back to the way they were? I hoped against the last one. If there was one thing we could take from this terrible experience it would be that most of us squandered our existences beforehand. There were so many things we could have done or said that we didn't because we assumed we'd have the time. Now that our lives were at stake every day we didn't have the luxury of waiting for the 'right time' for anything. Every second was the 'right time'. No matter what we were waiting on we had the opportunity to say or do it no matter the consequence because there was no telling when our individual times would be up.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." It was Andrea who spoke so boldly and I was a little surprised. I hadn't pegged her as the type of person to be so forward and demanding. The loss of her sister must have triggered this behavior. She no longer had anything to lose. It could be debated if this would be a good thing or not. But I did have a problem with her words. 'Eh..Kind of.' We'd come for shelter, answers, safety, and food by default. So her statement was mostly incorrect but we all got the gist of what she was trying to say. 'Jeese. Can't we eat before you hound the man to death?' All the talking so early wasn't helping my hangover one bit. The food had helped settle my stomach but there wasn't enough aspirin in the world to take away my headache.

Jenner turned, his eyes on his coffee as he swished it around in the cup. He had another one of his thoughtful expressions on. One of those that nagged at me every time I saw it. Like he knew something he wasn't willing to share with the rest of us. Being the curious person that I was it irked the shit out of me. I wanted t know what he was thinking about in those moments. I would have killed to have the ability to see what others were thinking. It would save me a lot of guess work. "After breakfast." Jenner finally made eye contact with Andrea and his lips spread into the most forced smile I'd ever seen in my life. "The brain is better at comprehending when properly nourished." He looked to Dale and motioned with his cup. "Don't you agree?" And Dale thought about it for a second or two before digging into his eggs. "The man's got a point." He agreed. I didn't. Sometimes comprehending isn't worth the trouble or the hype. Sometimes it's better to hear shocking information and slowly let it sink in over time. Over loading stressed minds isn't the best idea. That's how people snap and start killing everyone in the vicinity. I could do without all of that.

...

**Any good? I didn't know how Daryl's dream would work out but I think it came out alright. Not exactly what I had in mind but I tend to let my fingers do all the work when I write XD My brain does very little work nowadays. Whatever keys my fingers press are the ones that get saved ninety percent of the time! HA! Again I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. Please forgive me! In the next chapter Jenner drops the bomb in a big way and be expecting an even bigger bomb from me! Brace yourselves. The next chapter is going to be one seriously bumpy ride! Until next time! MUCH LOVE!**

-MeRci.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary**: Holy crap, people! We've come to the end of this fanfiction! It feels like it took me forever to write the fifteen chapters. By the way I think that's awesome! I made a six episode series last fifteen motherfucking chapter! WOWZERS! I'm so proud of myself! But alas we've come to the end and you guys might want to brace yourselves. This chapter is going to be crazy. I'm warning you now to fasten your seatbelts! =D Please don't hate me!

**Sidenote**:There are two things that I want to address before moving on and if you would bear with me I'll try to make this quick so you can get on to the story. First of all I'd like to warn any of my readers that I will be moving shortly and it may be a while until my next update to start on the sequel for this fic. (Yes there's going to be a sequel so look forward to it!) I'm going to be working my ass off to afford a new laptop so I can continue but that's going to take some time like all things do. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience and I will definitely be missing you all in the meantime! Also there is an aspiring writer that some of you should check out. Her name is Penelope Sweet and she has a BDS fic and a walking dead fic so give her a read if you've got the chance! =D

**Disclaimer**: I do not own rights to TWD, any of it's characters, or Bob Dylan's 'Tomorrow is a long time.' Just sayin..

**Credits**: This is going to be last time saying this for a while so let me get it out while I still have the chance!** I LOVE YOU GUYS! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOUUUUUU! **I really do..And I have to thank you all for sticking with me this whole way! You can never know how much I appreciate all of your support and will be looking forward to your reviews like I always do. Much love!

-xXBXx: Glad you enjoyed it! That dream scene was pain in my butt! It was loosely based on a dream I had the night before writing it but I tweaked it to fit Daryl. I'm relieved that it came out in a way that you found acceptable.

-Lucy Freebird: Ya know just because I love you and your name and find it to go perfectly with this chapter I'm going to make Freebird one of the playlist choice songs for this chapter. =D Hope you like the chapter, love!

-CherryMae: Yay! I love long reviews! I do. It's like crack to me. I love all and any reviews but I looove reading the long ones. Aww I'm sorry. I meant to have Jenner drop the bomb in the last chapter but this chapter was just too long already and I would have had to cram it all together instead of giving you guys this big blowout! But I apologize all the same. Hahaha! You're sidenotes made me giggle like crazy! I adore you! Love ya!

-Pray4Me: Details are what I like to cram into my stories most. Because without them the whole thing comes off rushed and lacking. So I'm glad you like it and I thank you for your compliments! I hope you like this chapter! =D

-PoetKnowit20: Awesome! Then I'm sure you'll appreciate a side project I'm working on. It's only one chapter but it's about Dead Space. So give it a read when I've posted it. (Should be within the week) Yeahhh! That dream was difficult to tweak for Daryl. He's even stubborn in my head! XD I'm fine with my banner and pom poms =D I'm not greedy! But how about a review for this chapter? Teehee! Don't hate me afterwards! I love you!

-MyMissingHalo: Zombie video games will be the death of me. I know it! Every time I play one I get so paranoid and start making sure I'm ready for the zombie apocalypse. I think I've still got some preparations to make though. XD But yeah I don't know if you're going to like the bomb that I dropped and completely shook up this entire story! It's a nuclear bomb! But either way I'm proud of this chapter and I hope you are too! Love you!

-Penelope Sweet: Hahaha. Awesome. My spunk is my pride and joy. Without that I fear I would have nothing to write. So much imagination one day my head may explode all over the place like BOOM! 'ewwww sticky..' (Seriously people. Read her stuff if you get the chance. Maybe while you're waiting for the sequel to this fic? I don't know.)

-Effigy: Fashionably late is better than not showing up at all! =D You've been reading non-stop? Wow. O.O How are your eyes not bleeding yet? Bleeding with awesomeness! XD Anywho I'm very happy that you like it and I'm sure me and the other readers welcome you with open arms to the family! (Yes I like to think of us as family..Kinda weird but ohwell! XD) Thanks for the support!

**I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Playlist choice: **Dream on- Aerosmith and Freebird-lynyrd skynyrd. (For the ending)

...

Jenner was true to his word. I was fairly relieved because if he hadn't there was no doubt in my mind that everyone in the vicinity would have lynched him otherwise. Stress levels were reaching their peaks and it would have been detrimental to the good doctors health if he'd denied the request of information. The others weren't demanding too much in my opinion although we'd asked him for many things since we'd entered the facility. Information and answers were the easiest of these requests to fill. But he made it seem like we'd tied him down and were pulling his teeth out one by one with nothing to dull the pain. Nearing the end of breakfast when Glenn asked him if he was about done Jenner gave him a look that I translated to say 'Dear god, boy if you don't shut up and let me finish these eggs in peace I'm going to shove a syringe in your slanted eye.' Man, I must have been hanging around the hick knight in scruffy armor too much.

Jenner took his time with eating while some of the others grew anxious and impatient. I wasn't in any hurry to get the answers to what was happening to what was left of the human population and what had caused all of this but I was ready to leave that particular room. Someplace that I had ample room to avoid Shane would be my best location. I'd hate to be stuck in close quarters with him for too long and 'accidentally' steal Daryl's crossbow and shoot the motherbitcher in the fucking face.

But all things must come to an end and Jenner finished eating, placed his plate in the sink, and stood before the exit of the room and cleared his throat. "Right this way." He said and motioned the group out the door. We all followed him like obedient dogs and entered the same room as the day before. The 'big room' as the doctor called it. It was just as technologically advanced, eerie, and empty as it had been the last time we all saw it. But this time in I barely moved into the room. I stayed put just inside the door and leaned my side against the railing of the path that lead to the large circular platform ahead. I felt sketchy about the whole ordeal. There was a look in Jenner's eye today that wasn't the same as yesterday. He was more lost to his mysterious thoughts. More quiet. All together he didn't seem right and the vibes coming from him were all wrong.

While the others in the group scattered about the room Jenner approached one of the many computers in the room and began fiddling with buttons. "Give me a playback of TS-19." He commanded to the voice operated system, Vi. It still startled a few of the others when the computer generated voice spoke back in it's gentle manner obediently. "Playback of TS-19." The giant screen in the front of the room turned on and a list popped up. Vi scanned through each file quickly before singling one out and opening it. I analyzed the faces around me. More than not they registered awe. I was impressed by the technology as well but not to the same degree. 'Like none of you have ever been to a movie theater before.' I thought with more than a hint of sarcasm. 'Kind of wish I had some popcorn. This is bound to be interesting.' I leaned into the railing and put all of my weight onto it to ease the tension off my leg.

On the screen an image appeared. It was a human skull and on the right side there were shots of different angels. One of them appeared to be inside of the brain itself. I was sure we all knew what the human brain looked like. Aside from Daryl I went ahead and assumed we'd all seen pictures in the textbooks at school so this wasn't anything huge. But I bet that what was coming no one had ever read within the pages of any books aside from a very detailed horror novel. 'Oh, who am I kidding?' I took a look at the people I'd taken refuge with. 'There's no way more than five people in this room have ever read for leisure.'

"Very few people ever got a chance to see this." Jenner spoke again. This time he was talking to us and it was with an odd look that he scanned all of the faces nearest him. One of those same looks that had spurred distrust in me. It was genuinely festering and growing with each passing second. "Very few." He repeated and looked back to the screen. Vi isolated the image in the left and zoomed in so that the brain was clearly shown. So far this was turning out to be nothing more than a glorified human biology class. I wanted him to skip to the good part quickly. I was getting bored already.

"Is that a brain?" From next to Jenner Carl piped up and though I couldn't see his face from where I was standing I could imagine his nose scrunched up and his eyes squinted in attempts to fully understand. The doctor leaned down to address him. "An extraordinary one." He stated and straightened to his full height once again. Of course there was something I'd noticed about him. It didn't matter how straight he stood there was always a hunch in his shoulders. Sometimes it was more noticeable than others but it was always there. He was a beaten man. "Not that it matters in the end." I barely heard him but the statement spoke miles even muttered softly. Nothing matters in the end. That's why it's called the end.

I let my attention drift off and on. To the screen. To the others. To the walls. But no matter where I looked my gaze constantly returned to one singular point in the room. On the wall opposite me there was a large digital clock with it's red, glaring display. The first time I'd seen it I hadn't paid it much thought. I'd laid host to the possibility that it was keeping track of time but now I noticed that it was counting down. It didn't sit right with me. 'I've got a bad feeling in my gut and I don't think it's the eggs.' I chewed on my bottom lip and glanced to Mr. Crossbow but he was too busy watching the brain on the screen to notice me trying to get his attention in the most subtle manner that I could. 'Damn him for being so fucking oblivious.'

Jenner was the center of attention. "Take us in for E.I.V" He commanded. The image on the screen focused in on the frontal view of the human skull. "Enhanced internal view." Vi responded and the skull turned. The image became that of a human being laying on their back. The left side of the brain only was visible. It was this sight that had me digging through all of my biology classes in high school trying to remember something about what I was seeing. The left side of the brain was the analytical side. Whereas the right side puts things together the left takes the information from the right and puts it into a sensible manner that we can put into words. Say you see a car. The right side of the brain takes the image and you readily identify it as a car. But the left side adds details. Who's car is it? Bob's car. What kind of car is it? A minivan. What color is it? Red. Bob's red minivan. I shook my head as I became tempted to delve deeper into the concept and tore my gaze from the clock to view the brain again.

There were all sorts of movements going on on the screen. For one the brain itself was sending signals to all corners on the file feed. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. A live view of someone's thought process. That was a whole new level of intriguing that I'd never considered. My eyes were permanently glued and I watched the little lights dart across the paths of the brain. 'That puts all kinds of things into perspective..' I tried not to imagine what kinds of things my brain was doing while observing the one on the screen. 'It must have been recorded from a real person.' Also the mouth was moving. As if the person being recorded was talking or shouting in pain judging by the contractions of the throat and larynx.

On screen things just kept getting more and more interesting. The enhanced internal view zoomed in. Into the brain itself to show the signals in the brain as if they were fireworks against a night sky on the fourth of July. Tracking a singular one was impossible. They darted along different paths, bounced off one another, and ricocheted back and forth. It almost beautiful. To see what the brain could and was doing constantly. Even in sleep those lights were present. They kept us going. Helped us continue along our destined paths. Without them we would be nothing. No, that wasn't correct. Without those signals we'd be walkers. We'd be wandering around desperate to devour anyone in our presence. We'd be basic animals. Those lights made us sociable, 'advanced' animals. 'If that makes any damn sense.'

"What are those lights?" Rattler was seated near the front of the room closer to the screen. I couldn't see his face but that was alright. I could imagine it being just as dumbfounded and ridiculous as his question. I scrunched up my nose and shook my head. 'You can't be that stupid..You just can't be..' Then it occurred to me. 'Those lights must be a mystery because all of yours must have blown their fuses years ago.' I snickered at my own thoughts and got a strange look from Daryl. He too seemed oblivious to the whole concept. So two people in the room hadn't caught on yet? 'Jesus H, really? Only in Georgia.'

Jenner was eager to explain and help those less fortunate to understand what they were looking at. He slightly reminded me of one of my old teachers from middle school. So willing to help others fully understand a subject and give the students a shot at success in life. High school teachers lacked this enthusiasm. I would too if I had to deal with high school kids all day. Ages sixteen to nineteen were complicated times full of insignificant 'problems' that were never too big of a deal or about something that was utterly stupid. Plus a majority of them were rude, obnoxious, selfish, spoiled, and disrespectful. Then there were the select few who did what we were supposed to. Sit down, shut up, and listen. Three basic tasks that ninety percent of the teenage population of a high school found impossible. Ah, school. I didn't miss it whatsoever.

"It's a person's life." He explained and motioned to the feed. "Experiences. Memories." He paused and a look of awe came over his face. It was obvious he'd enjoyed his work immensely and found it to be a stimulating subject. "It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring and all those ripples of light.." He smiled for only a second and I would have missed it if I blinked. "Is you. The thing that makes you unique." That last sentence caught my attention and had me pondering what my own brain looked like in earnest. I think it was more than possible for my brain to have had an overdose of 'unique' somewhere in the beginning years. "And human."

Daryl looked to Jenner with confusion on his face. All of this must have sounded like a foreign language to him. "They don't make sense? Ever?" He asked. My first reaction was 'wait..What?' but Jenner jumped to help him out and pointed to the screen. "Those are synopsis." I would have suggested he refrain from using words containing more than two syllables because Mr. Crossbow looked even more confused. Jenner continued. "Electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does, or think from the moment of birth to the moment of death." He explained.

It made very little sense to me but I took a crack at deciphering what exactly was being said. 'So in a way everything we are is already predetermined?' Jenner could have meant it in some other way as in those lights taking all all of every little detail we put into it and determining what is to be said or done in a situation depending on the information stored. But I wanted to look at it in a different light. 'That has to be a crock of bullpocky. From birth till death? What about the experiences in between that warp how a person is supposed to be and turns them into someone else entirely? Is that how mental breakdowns happen?' I wracked my brain but my headache wasn't going away any time soon and thinking so much was sort of making it worse. 'Oh, fuck it. he's the scientist here. Not me.' I gave it up and, like a good student, just listened to what the more experienced person had to say. Maybe I'd learn a thing or two.

I'd almost forgotten Rick was in the room until he spoke. He was being so quiet that his presence slipped my mind. "Death?" He asked and stepped closer to the front. "Is that what this is? A vigil?" Jenner nodded. "Yes." And I wanted to smack my head on the railing. 'Am I the only one paying any type of attention, here?' So many questions were being asked that wouldn't need to be voiced if someone would put some common sense behind their thinking before needing someone to spell it out for them with alphabet soup. 'Just like my old classmates..' I was in high school biology class all over again. I must have died and gone to hell.

"Or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner corrected himself but couldn't tear his eyes from the screen. That was something else I'd taken into account with Jenner. He rarely made eye contact with those he spoke with. Possibly four out of ten times he held a persons gaze. Very sketchy in my irrelevant opinion. "This person died?" Andrea sounded shocked. As if our short period of safety had her forgetting that people were dying left and right. Humanity was dropping like flies. "Who?" She followed up with a second question and I was tempted to take a leaf out of Jenner's book and say it didn't matter in the end just so everyone would shut up so we could get to the more important part of this lesson. We didn't come here for insignificant details did we? No. We were here for substantial answers from someone who had even the smallest idea of what the fuck was going on in the world.

There was a hesitance from Jenner that had my stomach churning the eggs beginning to make their merry way through my intestines. "Test subject 19." I could see the high school teacher in him then. The dejected tone coupled with the extra slouch to his shoulders had me recalling an English teacher I'd had in my sophomore year. No one ever really took notice to things like body language even though it spoke louder than any word ever could. I did. This person must have been important to him in some way. "Someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process." He explained.

To think. Someone was willing to undergo that kind of exposure for the good of others. In hopes of figuring more out about this whole thing. I knew little to nothing about the effects of whatever was turning people into walkers aside from the aftermath. I knew that no one stayed dead for long and you had to take the brain entirely out of the equation to put one down. The causes and the process in general were a mystery to me. I tucked a little sticky pad away in my brain to remind me to write down what I knew and what I would learn at a later time. "Vi. Scan forward to the first event." Jenner commanded.

"Scanning to first event." A small icon appeared in the middle of the screen. Across the top read; Index Search Marker G374: Event1. Beneath that was a loading bar that began scrolling along like videos that I used to watch online. Of course nowhere near as technologically advanced as this but the same basic idea. Once completed the brain stem on the screen turned black and the 'organic wiring' we'd witnessed before began to do the same stemming from the root and branching outwards until the entire brain was dark. I took a crack at figuring this thing out before being told just to see if my ideas were correct.

'It must be some sort of virus that enters the bloodstream when bitten. This, by default has to point to the virus being contained in whatever bacteria is in the mouths of the walkers. It's got to move faster than holy hell.' I'd seen a person chop off their own hand after being bitten in hopes that it would stop the change but it didn't help. It was always the same result in the end which led me to asking myself the biggest question in the world at the moment. 'What in the hell are we dealing with?'

My brain hit a stop sign head on when Glenn gasped. "Woah! What is THAT?" He asked in a mixture of horror and bewilderment. I could imagine Jenner with a pointer or a ruler in his hand when he pointed to the screen yet again. "It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs." He paused and his voice lowered to near inaudible levels. "Then death."

'Okay so I was kind of right? Better than nothing. Yay for me? I want a cookie..' I thought and Jenner busted my bubble of momentary happiness. "Everything you ever were or ever will be..Gone." Well that was kind of a bummer. Carol's daughter, full of cherubic innocence and wonder looked up at her mother. "Is that what happened to Jim?" She asked. I expected Carol to sugar coat it and say something to comfort the girl that involved Jesus but instead she gave a one word answer that was straight to the point and blunt as a baseball bat. "Yes."

Andrea turned her face from the screen and the tears welled up yet again. She was thinking about Amy again. I didn't even have to guess. She was watching what her sister went through play out right before her eyes. We all were. To some it was far more personal because loved ones had become one of the undead and to the rest of us it still hit home because we all knew someone we cared for was among the ranks of the dead now. But Andrea was the only one who shed a tear. It could be considered selfish of her to cry when we all suffered and remained strong enough to hold back our emotional display. It was courteous to the rest of the group. What made her so special to be able to cry so openly with no regret or remorse? Her tears made me want to cry.

Jenner stared at the blonde woman with curious concern and Lori jumped on the opportunity to announce Andrea's private life to the stranger. "She lost somebody two days ago. Her sister." She said and I wondered how Andrea felt in that moment. If she'd wanted Jenner to know shouldn't she have been the one to tell him? Or was it customary for the other women to speak for one another? Not me.

The doctor leaned in and nodded. "I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." He said and the two looked at one another for a moment and an understanding was formed between to beings that I couldn't fully comprehend. 'Just because you understand doesn't make the pain stop or the tears dry up. And how can one person know exactly what another is feeling? If everyone is unique, as you said, then no one can really know how another feels because we all experience things differently. Our frontal lobe, where emotions reside, are all different. So your statement is invalid and in conflict with your statement earlier. Maybe he isn't as experienced as any of us would like to think. Or maybe he's just spouting bullshit to establish a connection of trust..' I was willing to pick everything apart that this man said. I was on a mission to find out why I didn't fully trust him. The puzzle was almost complete.

He straightened once the moment was over and spoke to Vi again. "Scan to the second event." He commanded and the automated voice responded in kind. "Scanning to second event." And the same icon appeared again with the loading bar. Jenner went from being an understanding fellow survivor to teacher once more in less than a second.

"Resurrection times vary wildly." He said. "We have reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours." Everyone's attention was captured as things finally got interesting. So maybe the person's height and weight effected the timing in which they got back up. "In the case of this patient it was two hours, one minute, and seven seconds." Jenner was rapt with attention and I had to wonder how many times he'd watched the events before us all with how personal it felt watching him observing the screen.

My gaze returned to the screen as the brain stem flickered back to life with a reddish hue to it until the entire root was alive once more. Lori gawked at the image. "It restarts the brain?" She asked. It wasn't impossible. If there was anything we'd all learned from the outbreak it was that the line between possible and impossible had disappeared all together when the dead rose up with a vengeance.

"No. Just the brain stem." Jenner shook his head. "Basically it gets them up and moving." He clarified. Rick stepped even closer and squinted at the screen as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "But they're not alive." I couldn't tell if that was a question or a statement with his tone. Jenner took it as the former. "You tell me." He motioned to the feed and Rick shook his head slowly. "It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark." He said. More pointing out of the obvious. When would it get old? "Dark. Lifeless. Dead." Jenner sighed and I was suddenly stuck with the irrelevant thought of 'Lifeless and dead are the same thing..' Not what I was supposed to be paying attention to at all and I snapped myself back to the conversation.

"The frontal lobe. The neo cortex. The human part. That doesn't come back." Jenner observed the confusion on Rick's face and helped him along. "The you part." The jaw onscreen started moving again and while watching it I could almost hear the clicking of the teeth dying to chew into some fleshy person dumb enough to get too close. "Just a shell run by mindless instinct." The doctor muttered. 'That's a lie. Shane isn't the one on that screen.' I chuckled quietly at my own attempt to make the circumstances less depressing for myself. I had enough of that without adding other people's problems to it as well. I observed as something moved into the top right side of the screen and suddenly the skull was penetrated by what appeared to be a bullet. I had a pretty good idea of what had just taken place but the rest of the group decided it was time for another round of 'point out the obvious'.

"God!" Carol gasped. "What was that?" She asked. Jenner didn't have to answer her because Andrea hopped at the chance to help her peers understand the concept of taking out the brain of a zombie. "He shot his patient in the head." She stated in a flat tone. I nibbled on my bottom lip. 'Hey! Someone else knows what's going on! Ahh, it feels good to not be alone.' I thought. "Didn't you?" She asked and my glee went right out the window. 'Aw crap..She was just guessing. So much for that..'

Jenner didn't answer. He crossed his arms over his chest and walked away. "Vi. Power down the main screen and the work stations." His command was obeyed not a second later. The screen shut off and the computers went dark once again. Some of the survivors looked around completely lost and at long last Daryl looked my way as he tucked his hands up under his pits and I took the chance to jerk my head in the direction of the clock on the wall. At first he didn't get it and only stared at me like I was stupid. But after a few more tries he looked at it, frowned, and nodded to me in what I hoped was understanding.

Andrea wasn't happy that Jenner was clamming up so suddenly concerning Test Subject nineteen. She turned on her heel and confronted him with a really damn good question. "You have no idea what it is do you?" She asked, frustrated that we'd pretty much gotten nowhere. After coming all this way we were rewarded with one doctors guess work. 'Wow. And here I was thinking I was the only one hosting such a heinous idea.' I shifted my weight and stretched my leg to get the blood flowing again. It was starting to fall asleep.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal-" Jenner's theories were cut short by the dark skinned woman. "Or the wrath of god." She interjected. What the hell? 'Or not.' I thought. 'Typical. Someone can't find an answer for something so they spin it into some religious mumbo jumbo. One difference. God may not exist but this thing sure as shit does.'

"There's always that." Jenner muttered. I couldn't be hearing this. The one person I thought wouldn't go for religion over scientific facts agrees? What the hell? I couldn't put that into a logical explanation if my life depended on it. There was no proof of god but the conclusion to believing in him was; If you believe in him and if you ask for his forgiveness then you'll go to heaven and he loves all of his children. So if he sent whatever the fuck was turning people into zombies then he couldn't love all of his children now could he? And if the dead were walking around then they weren't going to heaven. So by the 'god theory' we were produced with the conclusion that only the people who killed themselves so as not to become walkers were the only ones who made it into heaven. But it's a sin to kill oneself so what the hell? It made no fucking sense!

Andrea wasn't willing to let the topic deter and she grew impatient. "Somebody must know something. Somebody. Somewhere!" She flung her arms out to the sides and huffed. Carol even began questioning the doctor. "There _are_ others right? Other facilities?" She asked. Poor Jenner looked overwhelmed. I'd feel the same way in his position. So many people hounding him for information that he didn't have? That had to be terrible. He had a roomful of people throwing their hopes onto him.

The only answer he came up with was "There may be some..People like me." which he produced after a lengthy pause. What a coincidence. 'Oh, I know for a fact there are people exactly like you left. Clueless and searching for answers that may never exist. We're right here in the room just as lost as you.' There wasn't a person in the room that knew any of the answers to the questions that they asked. Jenner included. It wasn't too fair to put all of the responsibility on him but life wasn't fair. Especially these days.

"How can you not know?" Rick asked joining into the heated barrage of questions. Jenner remained calm. "Everything went down. Communications, directives, all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month." The end of that sentence went unsaid. 'So leave me alone. It's not my fault I don't know what's going on. Think you can do better? Go ahead and take a crack at it.' I wished he would say it for the sole purpose that if he did it would shut everybody up and the almost-argument would end before it began.

Andrea persisted. "So it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere." She huffed. "Nothing. That's what you're really saying right?" There were accusatory stares drilling into Jenner's head on all sides. Even from Rick but I went ahead and assumed that was because he was realizing that he'd been wrong in leading us here. His angst could be understood by someone who craved to be the leader. So Shane probably understood him the best at the moment. 'Damn, people.' I was feeling sorry for the doctor. I didn't trust him but that didn't mean the blame should fall onto him alone. 'He couldn't control what happened. You're the ones who put him up on a pedestal and believed that he was going to be the fixer of all your fucking problems. It's your own damn faults that you ended up with disappointment punching you in the genitals.' I didn't have that issue. I hadn't come along for answers. I'd come for Carl so I was content.

"Jesus.." The dark skinned woman sighed and I shook my head. 'Wrong person to be calling to, lady. If Jesus was going to help any of us he would have done it already.' The old expression 'knowledge breeds pessimism' was all too true to me. I was one big bucket of pessimism with a pile of shit on top. Delicious.

From a ways away Daryl began rubbing his eyes with his palms and groaned. "Man, I'm gunna git shitfaced drunk..Again." He announced and tapped on the railing to get my attention. "Ya in?" He raised an eyebrow and I paused. 'Uhh..' Flashes of the night before flitted across my mind and I shook my head. 'Nah..I'm good.'  
>But he was a persistent one. "Ya sure? Best cure fer a hangover." But again I shook my head and he held his hands up in surrender. " L'right. Suit yerself."<p>

"Doctor Jenner. I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question but.." 'huh?' My attention was diverted from Mr. Crossbow and I leaned into the railing more to poke my head around Daryl's shoulder. My attention was on Dale who was walking across the platform towards the clock I'd pointed out to Daryl. "That clock. It's counting down. What happens at zero?" He turned and asked. 'Ding! Ding! Ding! The million dollar question of the day goes to Dale! Good job!' I could have clapped but that would have been odd. I was glad that people were actually beginning to take notice of their surroundings instead of walking around like blind idiots.

"The.." Jenner paused and I watched him searching for something to say besides the entire truth. It was moments like this that made me question the man even more. My trust levels for him were in the negatives. "Basement generators run out of fuel." He finally answered. That was just awesome! we got to the facility just in time for shit to go down. Great timing if I ever heard of it.

"And then?" Rick asked. All ears were peeled in anticipation of the doctors answer. But we didn't get one from him. He just walked away. 'Oh..Wait- hey! That can't be good..' I thought as I watched him pass silently. Rick grew a brain and used his resources. Kind of. More like he used Jenner's resources. "Vi. What happens when the power runs out?" He looked around like he expected there to be a specific place where Vi might hear him better or possibly appear as some sort of 'fancy futuristic hologram'.

"When the power runs out facility-wide decontamination will occur." The automated voice had me frowning. 'The good news keeps on coming..Fuck.' I'm pretty sure that for the first time everyone was on the same wavelength as me because faces registered my sentiments exactly all across the board. Even Carl's. I wondered if he even knew what decontamination meant. The chances were slim considering he looked up at his mother with silent question.

Rick was quick to jump on some way out of the mess he'd gotten us into. "We've gotta make sure that doesn't happen." He said and placed his hands on his hips. He stared at the ground like it held all of the answers but it gave him none. "Oh yeah? And how's that?" The buff black man asked with an equally clueless. It was Glenn who set the light bulbs off above their heads. "There's got to be extra fuel for the generators somewhere right? This place has all of their bases covered. They had to have been prepared for something like this as a last resort." He stepped up and adjusted his cap nervously.

Ricky nodded. "Just what I was thinking. Shane, T-dog, Glenn. Y'all come with me. Let's see if we can find any." There was no argument and the men headed off with haste leaving the rest of the group to discuss the disaster that was bound to come next. I didn't want to know nor guess at what awaited us so instead I watched the clock count down second by second. Funny how when you want time to go by quickly it drags on forever yet when you need it to slow down it speeds along like crazy.'Is this the end? Facility-wide Decontamination? I may not know the exact definition but I know that it does not bode well for any of us within the vicinity of this building when that thing reaches zero.' I thought.

I had a good run I guess. Not much to regret and it doesn't matter if I do or don't because there is no regret in death. Everything goes away. Pain, sadness, all those terrible nightmares that haunt me. It'll all be gone. I can join Noah on the other side and fulfill my promise to him at long last. To finally be able to stay by his side for eternity no matter what it held for us. But what about my promise to Carl? I couldn't break it. Shit. Choosing between my younger brother and the boy I'd come to think of as a sibling? Talk about a fucking difficult decision. If I didn't say a word and just stood where I was I could be with Noah as soon as time ran out. But if I warned the others of my theory and we all made it out safely then my promise to Carl could go unbroken. 'Decisions. Decisions..'

I tore my gaze from the clock to Lori gripping her son to her side. Such a sweet, innocent kid with the whole world ahead of him. He didn't deserve to die but there was no escaping it was there? If he survived this ordeal there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be grabbed by a walker within the next few days. In the long run maybe this was for the best. I couldn't let him become one of those things.

But it wasn't my place to play god. I had no right to choose these people's fates for them. Even if it was going against my vow of silence I had to give them all a shot. If they chose to flee then they might live but for those who wouldn't take my advice then their fates were in their own hands. The only question on my mind was whether or not anyone would heed my words or if I would go unheard just as I had done so many years ago sitting on Ashley's front porch. 'Here goes nothing..' I took a deep breath.

"I don't think sticking around is a good idea." I barely spoke above a murmur and mentally scolded myself for losing my gumption at the last moment. The only person who heard me was Dale and he turned and looked at me with a questioning gaze. As if he was trying to figure out if I'd actually spoken or if he was hearing things. I bit my lip and made sure to project my thoughts with more aggression. Beating around the bush and hiding like a coward like I'd done in the past was out of the question. There were people's lives at stake and I wouldn't be haunted by them. Nightmares were bad enough with just Noah. Adding in these survivors, no doubt, would drive me to suicide again.

"I don't think sticking around is a good idea." This time all eyes were on me and immediately I felt uncomfortable. I hated the spotlight. Dale frowned and looked up at the clock again as if confirming my assumptions in his own mind. Daryl, on the other hand, furrowed his brow. "What'd ya say?" He asked. I rolled my eyes. He was the closest person to me so there was no way he hadn't heard me while everyone else had and there was no question that they did because they were all staring at me as if I was an alien. "Holy mother of god she can talk." The black lady placed a hand over her heart and I gave her a blank stare. 'Motherfuck..'

"I'm saying it might be a good idea to leave while we still can." I stared pointedly at Daryl and he held up a hand. "I know what ya said. But what'ya mean? Ya know somethin' we don'?" He asked and I was tired of biting my sarcasm back. "Yeah. I know what the hell the word decontamination implies." I snapped at him. He set his hands on his hips in challenge and his face was set in a determined glare at my insult. "An' tha' would be?" He asked. I jumped on it. "It means vacating the premises would be a good fucking idea." I spoke slowly so he might understand me. Tensions were running high. It wasn't only my stress levels going through the roof. Just because we had a night of comfort didn't mean we were safe. The key to survival was getting it into one's head that the world was out to get them.

"And where would you suggest we go?" Andrea turned to ask me. I didn't have a proper answer for her so I spoke my mind. "Anywhere. All I know is we've got to do it soon. We've got an hour." I pointed to the clock again but no one was willing to listen. In fact I'd never seen a group of people so unwilling to listen to reason. They must have been riding on some hope that the others would find fuel. Not that it mattered because there was no such thing as an endless supply so they'd have to leave sometime. One night of luxury had been nice but we had to face facts now. Reality was not kind. Plus I'd think that if the mute girl decides to open her mouth she should probably be listened to. Vows of silence aren't broken for anything without sincerity and substance. That's a waste of breath. But fear does some crazy shit to people. For example it makes them deaf and ignorant.

Lori stared at me hard for a moment then two until she shook her head. "No. No everything will be fine. They'll find fuel and we'll be okay." She was in serious denial. Even Carl had the good sense to try to talk to them. "Mom. I think we should listen-" He was cut off by his mother's hand atop his head. "Carl. Honey. Stop. I know you're scared but she doesn't know what she's talking about, okay? You're father will take care of us. I promise." My jaw fell open and my teeth clicked as it snapped shut once more. 'No. You're right. I'm an idiot. I have no idea what's going on.' All bets were off. I'd done what I could and that was as far as I was willing to take it. Lori'd saved my ass last night and I'd attempted to repay her but it was impossible. I nodded in silence and took my leave. There would be no point in arguing.

I took the path back to the office I'd chosen as sleeping quarters hoping to find some solace but halfway there I changed my mind. The office was where I would go if I wanted to be found. Anyone looking for me like Daryl or Carl would go there first so it wouldn't make much sense to head there in hopes of being left alone. I needed some time to think and to clear my head. Also it might be a good time to start making peace with my past because it was starting to look like I wasn't going to have a future. So I opted for one of the rooms with the white boards. I almost walked into the one I'd tried to escape from Shane in but realized where I was and chose the next one down.

Once inside I closed the door and slid down the cool surface. The room was dark aside from the singular flickering fluorescent light in the back of the room. It threw the entire place into an eerie feeling atmosphere and had me thinking twice about staying. But my leg had been bugging me the whole way. Another reason I'd chosen this room instead of the office. It had been closer to my location when my leg started nagging me. I stretched it out now and began to work the stiff, agitated muscle of my thigh between my hands. I made sure not to be too firm with my actions but it didn't matter. Everything hurt it after a while so I quit while I was ahead and let my head relax against the door. I even let my eyes drift closed as the AC blew gently down from the vents and caressed my face. Just for a moment. A single moment of silence. Of peace. 'Just..a...Moment..'

...

Daryl POV:

"Where in the hell did tha' girl go?" I muttered to myself as I wandered towards the offices. When Al'd left I hadn' followed her. Fer damn good reason too. When Al was mad she did things like split my lip or bite the shit outta my arm. I rubbed the spot where her lil' teeth'd torn into me. It was still pretty tender an' there'd been a small bruise. Those chompers o' hers weren' no joke! So I let her go thinkin' maybe she'd go back to the office an' cool down. Plus I'd lef' the SoCo in there an' I'd said I was gunna drink an' I damn well meant it. So I waited a minute or five 'fore followin' behind slowly. I din't expect her to get too far ahead o' me on account of her messed up leg but I musta been wrong 'cus I din't catch so much of glimpse of her turnin' a corner the entire way. Even more odd was when I got there the door to the office was open.

Al was somewhat o' a private person an' I couldn' imagine her leavin' the door open but I poked my head in anyways. "Al?" I looked in but she wasn' there. Her bag was still righ' beside the couch so I felt safe in thinkin' she hadn' gone nowhere withou' it fer long. I even checked the bathroom but she wasn' in there either. But my bottle o' SoCo was sittin' on the coffee table righ' where I'd lef' it. "Oh well." I sighed an' plopped down on the couch. Drinkin' was always a great way to pass the time but after a shot or three I began to git curious. Al wasn' nowhere in sigh' an' she left her notebook unguarded. I gave it a sidelong glance while I took 'nother swig outta the bottle. I'd gone through some o' her stuff a few days ago but hadn' found anythin' givin' me a clue as to who Al really was. I'd stopped 'cus I felt guilty but now I had a lil' too much liquid courage in me. I couldn' resist.

I scooped up the worn, old thin' and stared at the cover. It reminded me of the firs' night I spent with her. I'd rescued her from some fatass turnin' walker. That was back when she used to follow me at a distance of three feet. If I'd known how important those 'space rules' of hers were at the time I mighta paid more attention to how I acted towards her. Maybe. I'd been up to four in no time an' then I was stuck in the position I was in now. Seven goddamn feet an' not an inch less. I couldn' blame her fer it though. I'd done it. Not her. I set the book in my lap and traced the letter like I'd seen her do once'r twice. M.U.T.E. She couldn'a scratched it in herself. I couldn' see her doin' somethin' like that. But I din't have a clue so I flipped open to take a look at the inside cover. In the top corner it read; If lost please return to Allison Grey. Below that was an address and a phone number. But tha' wasn' what I was interested in readin' at all. It was 'bout goddamn time I got a look at who Mute really was. What she thought 'bout. What the hell PEPLOCS were.

It was weird as shit though. I wanted to read it but damn if my gut was tellin' me not to. What if there were things 'bout Al tha' I din't wanna know? Sometimes when she got that faraway look in her eye I got uncomfortable. To me it felt like she was seein' somethin' differen' than the rest of us. When her eyes fixated on one thin' fer too lon' she was almos' scary lookin'. I couldn' even compare her thousand yard stare to a walker's gaze. Like she was Dead but more alive than any of us could ever hope to be. It kinda pissed me off. Nah. It din't kinda piss me off. It really pissed me off. To never know what in the hell she's thinkin'? It was 'nough to drive me fuckin' crazy tryin' to figure out where the fuck her mind was half the goddamn time. "Fuck it." The hell would she do if she foun' me readin' her shit? Keep ten feet away from me? The hell did I care? I was Daryl fuckin' Dixon. Not some sappy fuckin' lover-boy tryin' to stay on her good side hopin' she'd let me hold her fuckin' hand someday. When the fuck had that bitch taken my balls and where the hell did she hide 'em? I flipped to the first page but damn it if fate wasn't fuckin' with me. The lights flickered an' went out just as I read the first fuckin' sentence.

_I just got home from the hospital. Dr. Kim Said- _But I din't get no further than that an' I got madder 'an holy hell an' chucked the damn thing across the room. "Fuck!" I shouted as it hit the wall and dropped to the floor. SoCo in hand I marched to the door an' ripped it open jus' as Jenner strolled by. "What's goin' on?" I asked. "Why'd everythin' turn off?" Jenner passed an' stole the bottle from my hands. I let it go but followed in order to fin' out just what the hell was goin' on. Our host was in one helluva hurry so that tol' me it wasn' no small matter. Had Al been right? God damn it where the hell was she?

"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner said as he took a drink and passed by Dale. "Air isn't a priority? Or lights?" The ol' man asked but Jenner shook his head. "It's not up to me." He said and by this point everyone was followin' him like a littler of lovesick pups. "Zone five is shutting itself down." What the fuck? I looked 'round thinkin' maybe Al was somewhere in the group or trailin' behind but I din't see her nowhere. I clenched my fists. "Hey!" I called to Doctor Doesn'tknowshit. "What the hell does that mean?" I asked. Jenner fuckin' ignored me an' kept goin' an' if there was one thin' that pissed me off more'n anythin' it was bein' ignored. I shook my head an' jogged to catch up to him. "Hey, man! I'm talkin' to you!" I shouted right next to me. Maybe NOW he'd fuckin' hear me. "What do ya mean it's shuttin' itself down? How can a buildin' do anythin'?" I wanted a better answer than the one I got. "You'd be surprised." Was all Jenner opted to give me as a half-assed answer. 'Fuck!'

When we reached the stairs the rest of the group emerged from the basement. Guess they din't find the fuel they'd gone lookin' fer. That meant Al had been right when she'd said we should get the hell outta dodge 'fore shit got bad. I still din't get the whole 'decontamination' thin' but from the way Mute'd reacted I coul' go 'head an' take a guess that shit's creek was up ahead an' I din't see no paddles or canoes at all. I looked 'round again but there was still no sign o' Al. 'Damn it! I shoulda fuckin' followed her!' I stopped the firs' person I saw. The Chinaman. "You seen Mute?" I asked him but he held his hands up in a 'I don't know' sorta way an' I rolled my eyes. 'Fuckin' useless.' So I tried the whole fuckin' group. "Has anyone seen Mute?" I asked but no one was payin' me no mind. They were all hurryin' along with the doctor.

"Jenner. What's happening?" Rick managed to git up close to him an' asked the question through gritted teeth. He glanced back over his shoulder to his wife makin' sure she was still there. 'Must be nice to know where the hell yer woman is, asshole. Guess no one else matters.' I thought to myself bitterly. "The system is dropping all non-essential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running till the last possible second. We've just approached the half hour mark. Right on schedule." We entered the 'big room' or whatever the hell Jenner'd called it jus' as he clammed up again. Right on schedule my ass! I din't give a fuck 'bout his goddamn schedule. I wanted to know where the hell Al was an' the quickest way outta the fuckin' building.

...

"Allllll. Hey! Al! It's time to wake up!"

"C'mon Al. You're going to be late for school!"

"Can't you hear your alarm going off?"

"Get up!"

"Huh?" I groaned and my hand flew out blindly searching for my alarm clock to cut that damn buzzing off. I hated that fucking thing. Every morning it was there to blare its inconvenient buzzing straight into my ears. It always succeeded in jolting me out of my dreams with a rude awakening. Why couldn't alarm clocks give off a more pleasant sound? Oh, right. Because then no one would get up to turn it off. The annoying blaring had it's uses I suppose. Still wasn't what I enjoyed waking up to. It had the effect of putting me in a bad mood as soon as I cracked my eyes open.

"Fucking..Damn it!" I grunted, unsuccessful in locating the damn thing and went ahead and opened my eyes. At first I was confused. I wasn't in my old room and Noah wasn't trying to wake me up. My arm fell to my side as I realized where I was. "Holy shit when did I fall asleep?" I hissed as an alarm blasted from a speaker somewhere in the room. "That can't be good." I grumbled and located a clock. "A half an hour?" I gasped and scrambled to my feet quickly. Bad choice. My leg shrieked obscenities at me as I rose but I wasn't having any of it. I pointed at it and growled. "Don't cause me any trouble, you." I couldn't believe I fell asleep like that! So careless. If it wasn't for the alarms going off I probably would have slept through my own death! Never again. 'Learn from your mistakes.' I told myself and launched myself through the door.

The hallways were pitch black. There was an emergency light or two down each hallway which barely gave me enough light to navigate. I had to make it to the 'big room'. That's where I could find someone to tell me what was going on. But what about my bag? What if everyone decided to leave now that shit was going down? I couldn't leave my notebook and all of my belongings in this building. All of my precious objects of sentiment. My memories would be destroyed! "Over my dead body.."

I made my way to the offices as quickly as I could. My leg wouldn't allow me to run or jog but I managed a quick pace of hobbling using the walls to help me along. I set a hand on the solid surface and shoved myself forward through the pain in my shoulder. Over and over I pushed myself along down the dark hallways while repeating one sentence to myself. 'Just a little further. Just a little further.' I chanted it in my head until I finally reached the corridor of offices. I began to hate myself for choosing the one all the way at the end. "God damn it.." I grumbled. I wanted to rest. Just for a moment or two but I didn't know how much time I could spare. I had to get my stuff and make it to the 'big room' in less than a half an hour. Hopefully the group hadn't already left. Wandering the empty halls had me wondering about this. There wasn't another person in sight. What would I do if they left me here?

Moving on I made it to the office and my eyes locked onto the clock on the wall. I had twenty minutes left. With a grunt I limped across the room and scooped up my bag. I looked through to make sure everything was in it but it wasn't. My notebook was missing. My inner panic button was smashed and my heart began to race. "No.." I gasped and my eyes were wild as I my thrashed back and forth and my gaze scanned the room. Then I found it. It was laying open on the floor. I fell upon it and picked it up. The cover was torn halfway off and the spine was damaged but it was still intact. "Thank goodness." I sighed. I made it to my feet and crammed the book into my bag with it's pen and hastily zipped it up. It was secured on my back and I was out the door with eighteen minutes left.

I hit an obstacle as I made it to the end of the hall and turned the corner. "Oh, stairs. My mortal enemy. We meet again." I glared at the steps as they challenged me. I accepted and began to ease myself down one by one at my own pace. If I took them too fast I may fall but I couldn't take my sweet time with it either. The clock was counting down and my fate was up in the air like a coin. Heads I lived. Tails I died. Which one would it be? I had a feeling I wouldn't find out until it was too late.

"Shittydicknipples!" I hissed as my leg spasmed painfully. My knee gave out and instead of walking the rest of the way down I tumbled down the last six steps with a surprised shout. My shoulder hit the floor as I bounced off the last step and I curled up in pain and bit back a sob. 'Oh, god damn it. Give me a break for fucks sake!' I wanted to scream. At least it wasn't my head this time. The gash on my arm, though, I could feel had ripped back open upon impact but I couldn't stay down. I had to keep going. I'd rest when I was dead and no sooner than that.

I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up onto my knees. Below me there was a smear of blood and I checked my arm. Yup. It was bleeding again. Great. The one wound that starts to heal gets fucked up all over again. Fucking awesome, Fate! "Fuck...you..!" I managed to hiss as my jaw tightened. I could feel myself on the verge of tears. Not because I was sad. I was frustrated. With myself. With the circumstances.I'd been right. The entire world including whatever higher power was out there was out to get me. My vision blurred as hot tears welled up but I refused to cry. "No. Mute don't you fucking dare!" I growled at myself and wiped the back of my hand over my eyes and pushed myself the rest of the way up. Tears were for the weak. Allison Grey had been weak. I wasn't that girl anymore! I was Mute. M.U.T.E!

My leg protested as I took my first step forward. I was so close! "Move, god damn it!" I shouted and forced myself to keep going. "MOVE!" I clenched my eyes closed and gathered what was left of my strength before it seeped out of me through my tear ducts. I wouldn't die. Not here. Not now. I had to live. Noah wouldn't want me to go out this way. He'd want me to survive! That's exactly what I planned on doing.

One step. Two steps. The pain was blinding but my adrenaline kicked in and I felt little to nothing. I was numb to the bone as I approached the doors to the 'big room' only to stop and stare in shock at the giant metal door sealed shut. "No. No fucking way.." I gaped in horror. What was going on? Then I heard it. From the other side of the door there was shouting and loud banging on the solid structure. I limped to it with as much haste as I could. A clock on the wall told me I had fifteen minutes. "Goddammit! Open!" I knew that hick accent anywhere! Daryl?

"Daryl?" I shouted through the door and then pressed my ear to it. The banging stopped and there was a pause. "Mute?" It was muffled but I could make it out. So they WERE inside? Were they trying to get out? Were they trapped? I removed my head from the door and looked around thinking there might be a keypad or something to open the door with. There was nothing. "Shit!" I hissed and pressed my ear to the door again. "Daryl! What's going on?" I shouted. My voice cracked, my voice box already sore. All my time spent in silence had really taken a toll on me. His reply was difficult to make out. "Goddammit, Mute! Where the hell were you?- Fuck!" He paused. Was he really mad at me for not being around? And was this really the time for that? No. I was about to tell him to get to the fucking point when he cut me off.

"Go, Mute! Ya gotta git outta here! Git to truck! I'll meet ya there!" Mr. Crossbow sounded unsure. For what reason? Unsure of himself or me? I bit into the scabbing inside of my cheek so hard I tasted copper. "But.." I didn't know what to say. What if they couldn't get out? I had to help them. I couldn't just leave everyone to die. Carl was in there! "Fuckin' GO!" He sounded pissed and I removed my ear from the door uncertain of what to do. But there was no other choice. I had to go. I settled a hand on the cold metal and tried to find the right words. Goodbye? No that wasn't right. I'll see you soon? No. That didn't feel right either. "JUST DON'T DIE!" I shouted. From the other side I could have sworn I heard a laugh and then the banging started again. I pushed myself away from the door and gulped down the lump forming in my throat. "Please don't die.." I shook my head and launched myself in the opposite direction.

Down that corridor and back near the steps I glared at the blood I'd left behind with hatred. I didn't want to take those steps again but I had no choice. I had to get to the ground floor and try to follow Mr. Crossbow's instructions. They'd make it just fine. I had to believe that they would or else I might lose hope. If that happened then I would have nothing to continue for. I'd have no reason to keep going. Without faith that the others would make it I might as well have stopped, sat down, and awaited death's embrace. But then that would mean I lost and I'd be damned if something as simple as a god damn set of stairs would be my demise. I'd lived through a hell of a lot of bullshit and there was no fucking way I wasn't surviving steps.

Heading downstairs was so much easier than pulling myself up them. I used my good arm to grip the railing and push myself up them as quickly as I could. my bag felt like it weighed a thousand or more pounds and gravity was a bitch. But I gritted my teeth and through grunts and groans I made my way to the top only to figure out that more steps awaited me at the front door. What the hell was the use for four steps to the front doors? Was it for aesthetic purposes? All I knew was that for all the stairs in this god damn building the people who worked inside must have been in great shape. I took them with haste but it was all for nothing. The doors were locked.

I launched myself against one of the doors but it didn't budge. "What?" I gaped at the outside world. It was so close yet so far away and I was separated from it by glass. I pushed the door again hoping maybe it was just stuck the first time. No luck. It still didn't open. "FUCK!" I slammed my fist against the glass and ended up with nothing more than a sore hand. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCKING FUCK GOD DAMN SHIT!" I hit it again and again but to no avail. I even stumbled to the other doors and tried them. Still nothing. I felt the tears coming again and looked around for a clock. Ten minutes.

My mind began to race for options. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be. My eyes scanned the area for a window to open or another door. Nothing. "C'mon, Mute. Think!" I hissed. "THINK!" Idea after idea popped up into my head only to be shot down one after the other by facts. Then the light bulb went off above my head and I threw myself down the steps and across the lobby in a last ditch effort. If this didn't work then I was fucked beyond my worse nightmares. But I had to try.

...

Daryl POV:

With five minutes lef' to live I wasn' gonna spend it chattin' wit' the bastard that locked us in this place like the others were doin'. I wasn' givin' up 'till I was dead or the fuckin' door opened. It was one of the two. Al was alive. Al wasn' stuck in here wit' the rest of us. She had a chance an' I slammed the axe against the door all the while thinkin' she made it out to the truck. Thinkin' she was sittin' in it right now, watchin' the doors, an' waitin' fer me. Hopefully she had the good sense to roll up the windows an' duck down in case there were any walkers round. Jus' 'cus she made it outta this place din't mean that outside was safe by any means. Now I had'ta git outta this place to make sure she wasn' alone fer too long. There was no tellin' what kinda trouble that girl'd git into without me there to keep an eye on her. She was a magnet fer all sorts of shitty luck.

I hoisted the axe over my shoulder, sweat drippin' into my eyes an' ready to give another go at the door when it fuckin' opened. 'Holy shit!' I stepped back and looked at if fer a secon' or two to make sure I wasn' seein' shit. It was really open! "C'MON!" I shouted to the other over my shoulder but I din't wait fer no one. While the others began runnin' fer the door I was already headed down the hall. Of course Rick held us up with some partin' words to Jenner an' I was tappin' my foot anxiously. If he took too long I was willin' to leave his ass. Luckily his woman pulled him away. Glenn was freakin' out. "Hey! We've got four minutes now COME ON!" He shouted. Rick joined us an' I turned to head off again but Jacqui took up some more of our dwindlin' time by announcin' she wasn' comin'. Oh, well. I din't care. If she wanted to die that was on her. T-dog tried to convince her to come along but she wasn' comin' no matter what he said.

Finally we were on our way an' I almost killed Dale when he din't follow. Apparently Andrea was stayin' behind too an' the ol' man was tryin' to get her to come along. I was relieved as fuck when he shouted fer us to jus' go on. I din' have no problem with that an' took off with the others. We headed down the hall runnin' the whole way but when we reached the steps I stopped. On the groun' there was blood smeared on the floor in front of the stairs. No one else paid no mind to it but I paused an' looked 'round. It had to be Al's. But what'd happened to her? Where was she now? My mind came up with all kinds of theories but I shook my head an' followed the group up the steps. She'd be waitin' fer me in the truck an' she'd be jus' fine.

We entered the lobby and launched ourselves against the doors only to be denied freedom. 'What the hell?' Everyone was shoutin' an' tryin' all the doors. They were all locked. T-dog tried the keypad on the wall but that wasn' no use either. I looked 'round. Al wasn' nowhere to be seen. Had she foun' 'nother way out? Where? Where was she? "Fuck!" I shouted an' Shane shouted to me fer an' axe. I hated the bastard but I wanted to git outta the buildin' more. I tossed him one an' joined him in tryin' to break on of the windows. I swung as hard as I could but it din't matter how many times we hit it. The fuckin' window wouldn' break. The axes jus' kept bouncin' off with no effect whatsoever. I kept tryin' to git a look at my truck while I went at it but it was too far away fer me to see if Al was inside. 'You'd fuckin' better be!' I thought an' gave the axe 'nother swing. Nothin'.

T-dog was up next with a chair. Shane an' I hopped down to give room an' he swung time after time using the legs but all it did was scratch the surface. There wasn' a single crack in the damn thing. "Shit!" I wiped the sweat from my forehead an' Shane shouted fer T-dog to get down. I backed up as he brought the shotgun out an' took aim.

BOOM!

Still no luck. Shit. If a damn shotgun couldn' blast through that glass then we had no fuckin' hopes of survivin' this. "The glass won't break?" Carol's daughter asked, her question full o' panic an' fear. I pretended to ignore it 'cus I wasn' gonna be the one to tell her to give up hope. "Rick!" Carol ran forward rummagin' through her purse an' I watched her with skepticism. "I have something that might help!" She said. Shane's words mimicked my exact thoughts as she got closer. "Carol I don' think a nail file's gonna do it." He said but Carol ignored him. "Your first morning at camp. When I washed your uniform." She stammered an' I damn near shit my pants when she pulled out a hand grenade and presented it to the ex police officer. "I found this in your pocket." She was shaking as she held it out to him an' Rick stared at Carol like she was god. He nodded an' took it with a shout. "Get down!" He shouted. I bolted down the steps an' ducked as Rick hopped up onto the sill.

"Ohhhhh Shhiiiiii...!" His hurried footsteps were all that I heard jus' 'fore the explosion deafened everythin' an' Rick was thrown down the steps by the force. The glass shattered into a million tiny pieces an' we all made a break fer it. Pillin' out the window I swept some of the glass outta the way so neither of the kids woul' cut themselves as their parents helped them out. I hopped out las' with one more glance over my shoulder thinkin' maybe Al woulda heard the explosion an' come runnin'. But she din't. So I turned an' headed down the lawn with the rest of the group starin' down a handful o' zombies comin' to investigate the sound of our escape.

There was no slowin' down. Gunfire exploded all over an' the undead dropped like flies. Rick, Shane, an' I headed the group takin' out everythin' in our path. I kept glancin' to my truck even after takin' off a walker's head with a wild swing of the axe but there was still no sight o' my mime. 'Best be hidin'.' I thought an' ran all out fer my vehicle. Everyone else did the same an' launched themselves into their cars without a look back. I darted 'round the hood of the truck an' flung the door open to see it empty. I'd been wrong. Al hadn' made it. "Shit!" I shouted an' kicked the front tire as hard as I coul. I even smashed a fist into the bed with a frustrated shout. "AL!" I heard the others startin' up their cars an' hopped into the drivers seat and started the engine but through the back window I saw Lori pointin' to the builin' in an excited manner. I looked in hope that Mute was crawlin' outta that window but it was jus' Andrea an' Dale.

The two hopped down from the sill an' ran fer the caravan but I kept watchin' the window. "C'mon, Al. C'mon!" I hit the steerin' wheel a couple times an' my foot tapped impatiently. "C'mon.." I growled. Rick started blarin' his horn as Dale an' Andrea got closer an' the two ducked behind a stack of sandbags. "Shit!" I hissed an' threw myself across the seats an' covered my head just as the buildin' blew. The grenade'd been loud but the explosions that destroyed the buildin' drowned out everythin'. Even my screams. The air that blew in through the AC unit was hot an' dry an' scalded my arm coverin' my face while crash after crash tore the CDC to the groun' along with everythin' an' everybody inside.

I lifted my head once I was sure the worst of it was over an' rolled down the passenger side window to stare at the fiery rubble. Everythin' was destroyed. Everythin'. Al hadn' gotten out. She was dead. Jus' like that. What was lef' fer me now? Merle was gone. Al was gone. I was alone fer the firs' time since I'd gone huntin' an' Merle had gone with the group to Atlanta fer supplies. Kinda made me wish I'd never foun' Mute in the firs' place. How in the hell could this happen? Why hadn' I followed her? Why'd she have to run off on her own? Where'd she been? Had she hid once she found out the doors were locked? She was supposed to fuckin' wait fer me! I din't know what to do. "AAALLL!"

Another hot gust of air blew into my face an' I closed my eyes against the burnin' wind an' lowered my head to rest on the window frame. From the radio came the static interrupted voice of Bob Dylan. I'd heard the song more times than I coul' recall. Ma had been a big fan of Bob Dylan so Merle an' I'd heard plenty of his music growin' up. But the timin' was awful an' the words fel' like they were mean' jus' fer me in tha' moment as I faced facts that I'd never lay eyes on my wounded lil' mime again. That I was now completely alone without those big ol' doe eyes with that thousand yard stare to avoid 'cus I was afraid she'd see too far into me an' fin' somethin' she never wanted to look fer.

_If today was not a crooked highway._  
><em>If tonight was not a crooked trail.<em>  
><em>If tomorrow wasn't such a long time.<em>  
><em>Then lonesome would mean nothin' to you at all.<em>

I refused to fuckin' let it out. The pain in my chest that echoed fer Al. Merle'd been right. I hadn' had what it fuckin' took to keep Mute safe. I'd let Robin die. So much fer fuckin' Batman. What coul' I have done differen'? Would it've mattered? If I'd gone after her would she still be alive? Woul' she be sittin' in the passenger seat silently watchin' the sky darken with smoke an' the buildin' smolder into ash? If I closed my eyes tigh' enough I coul' imagine it. Her face woul' pro'lly be sad an' in her min' she'd be mournin' the lives lost inside. Jenner an' Jacqui. Yeah, I coul' see it. She coul' be such a fuckin' bleedin' heart sometimes.

_Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin'_  
><em>If I could hear her heart a-softly poundin'<em>  
><em>Yes, and only if she was lyin' by me<em>  
><em>And I'd lie in my bed once again.<em>

I took a deep breath an' sighed. There wasn' nothin' I coul' do now but hope she wen' with no pain. I did take a secon' to wonder what her las' thoughts mighta been. Were they happy? Woul' she fin'lly fin' the peace in death tha' she never foun' in life? I knew she was hurt more'n what she liked to show. Jus' lookin' at her coul' tell me that. Even in her smiles there was somethin' missin'. Ever since I'd seen a singular page of one of her ol' notebooks I'd known she had scars on the inside that'd never heal. With that Noah person's death she musta los' a whole lot more'n anythin' I could understan'.

_I can't see my reflection in the water_  
><em>I can't speak the sounds to show no pain<em>  
><em>I can't hear the echo of my footsteps <em>  
><em>Or remember the sounds of my own name<em>

"Fuck.." I breathed an' shook my head as the soun' of rustlin' snapped me outta my thoughts. It sounded like a piece of paper blowin' the win' an' I frowned. 'The hell?' I lifted my head an' looked out at the destruction. A sign, bent from the force of the blast creaked. 'Round the metal stand a charred piece of paper curled an' flitted back an' forth. I opened the passenger side door afraid it migh' blow away 'fore I got to it. I din't know why I got outta the truck to grab it I just did without really thinkin'.

_Yes and only if my own true love was waitin'_  
><em>And if i could only hear her heart a-softly poundin'<em>  
><em>Yes and only if she was layin' by me<em>  
><em>And I'd lie in my bed once again<em>

Bob's voice followed me outta the vehicle an' I snatched the piece of paper jus' 'fore it fell to the groun'. I looked 'round at the others in their vehicles an' I got a few odd, sad stares in return but I ignored 'em all. Did any of 'em understand? Pro'lly not. I got back into my truck While Andrea an' Dale stumbled into the RV. Once I was behind the wheel I straightened out the burnt, singed edges an' looked back at the buildin'. Fate sure was a bitch. In my hands was a page outta Al's notebook. It wasn' a journal entry but some sorta list. When I'd actually wanted to read her shit I was interrupted but the secon' I din't wan' nothin' to do with it I got slapped in the face.

_**Daryl**:** Aka Mr. Crossbow AKA Crossbow toting psycho Aka Asshole:**_  
><em>- Possibly bipolar. He can switch emotions faster than anyone I've ever seen.<em>  
><em>-Redneck.<em>  
><em>-Saved my ass.<em>  
><em>- Eats squirrels.<em>  
><em>- Has a brother. Merle.<em>  
><em>-Sadist.<em>  
><em>-Anger issues. <span>Major<span> anger issues._  
><em>- Went off to Atlanta. He's letting me kick back in his tent until he gets back.<br>-Says he'll figure out what to do with me when he and Merle return.  
>-Racist. (Go figure)<br>-Doesn't seem to like Shane too much. I can understand where he's coming from on this one.  
>-Came back from Atlanta sporting a new weapon. Walnut-stock Remington 870.<br>-Might not have found Merle because I haven't seen anyone new in camp yet.  
>-Did he suddenly learn how to cooperate with the others? (Verdict is still out.)<br>-Doesn't like Glenn too much...  
>-Answer to everything: Kill it. (Including me when he found out I didn't want to go along to the CDC)<br>-Throws temper tantrums like a child..  
>-Abused as a child?<br>-I can't tell if he hates me or likes me. He threatened to kill me and then kissed me. I don't get it.  
>-Claims the kiss was a mistake. A 'lack of judgement on his part'. I hope this is true. I already feel unsteady around him as it is.<br>-Fought yet another battle for me when he dealt with the Rattler issue with violence. Of course.  
>-Loves Southern Comfort just as much as I do.<br>-Likes to have 'deep' conversations when he's drunk?  
>-I think he put me to bed last night but I can't remember. I also don't remember inviting to pass out in the office. I doubt I did.<br>-Might be the only real friend I've ever had. Carl is a close second..  
><em>(three foot rule.)<em>_

The rest of the page was burnt off an' I was lef' starin' at the lil' slip of paper in confusion. When'd she written it? I read through the items on the list once an' then twice. The last part threw me fer a loop. '_-Might be the only real friend I've ever had. Carl is a close second.. '_ That had to've been either this mornin' when I'd caught her writin' or maybe that's what she'd been doin' when I couldn' find her when we were escapin'. I could've been holdin' her las' words in my han'. An' when the fuck did she change my space rule from seven feet to three? I shook my head an' sighed again.

_There's beauty in that silver singin' river_  
><em>There's beauty in that rainbow in the sky<em>  
><em>But none of these and nothin' else can touch the beauty<em>  
><em>That I remember in my true loves eyes<em>

The caravan started to move an' I folded the list up an' slipped it into my shirt pocket while I shifted the gear into drive. I looked out over at the buildin' one more time. Maybe Mute got out some other way an' was wanderin' 'round lost with no one to help her. But tha' was wishful thinkin' an' I knew where that got others in this world. I had to focus on stayin' alive an' findin' Merle. I hit the accelerator an' followed the other's round the bend in a U-turn watchin' the buildin' die as I went 'till I couldn' see it in my rearview mirror anymore an' I said my farewells. "Goddammit, Al."

_Yes and only if my own true love was waitin'_  
><em>If I could only hear her heart a-softly poundin'<em>  
><em>Yes and only if she was layin' by me<em>  
><em>And I'd lie in my bed once again<em>

_..._

**Don't hate me! I know that was a heavy ending but it's all the more reason to look forward to the sequel right? Of course! Honestly I wish I wasn't moving so I could jump into the sequel right away but as I've already mentioned it's going to be some time and I'm sorry! Just know I'm going to miss you all VERY much! In fact I nearly cried while writing the credits for this chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me. I know I've already said it a million times but THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU! I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews and gnawing at my nails anxiously! Until next time! MUCH LOOOOOVVEEEE! =D**

-MeRci.


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